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Lawyers press
on as Maple
Pool Friends
reveal who
they are
By Philip Round
Echo Staff

École Robb Road students, from kindergarten to grade 7, are rallying together to encourage the community to vote for the school in the MAJESTA Trees
of Knowledge Competition.

Ecole Robb Road needs your vote
as they drop down to fifth spot
Elementary school is gunning for $20,000 outdoor classroom prize
By Michael Briones
Echo Staff
Ecole Robb Road students are encouraging residents, parents, and friends in the
Comox Valley to help them make their
outdoor classroom a reality. All they need
is your vote - once a day until May 5.
The Comox school is participating in
the MAJESTA Trees of Knowledge
Competition and is one of ten finalists for
the $20,000 outdoor classroom prize.
They’re competing against other schools
from Alberta, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec.
The school that garners the most votes
wins.
The local parent who is helping in the

project, Natasha Taylor, said in its second
week of voting, the school has dropped
from fourth to fifth place.
“We need our community to support
us,” said Taylor.
Comox Valley residents can vote daily
and enter to win $10,000 from MAJESTA
by visiting majestatreesofknowledge.ca
from April 7 to May 5.
“We need to remind them to vote for
Ecole Robb Road every day,” said Taylor.
“They don’t have to be connected to the
school. Just vote for the school. The adult
voters have a chance to win $10,000.”
École Robb Road students, from kindergarten to grade 7, are rallying together to
promote awareness in the community
about their efforts to raise funds for their

outdoor classroom project.
Last Wednesday, the students held an
exhibit of a variety of art works that portray what they want their outdoor classroom project to look like. They presented
their vision in a variety of mediums that
included photography, drawings and 3D
multi-media art forms.
Some students donated their art to a
silent auction. One hundred per cent of
the proceeds will go towards the project.
The school plans to hold a different
event every Wednesday until the voting
ends. This coming Wednesday, the principal and staff will be camping out in the
garden to draw more attention to their
project. The school is also accepting donations for their outdoor classroom project.

City staff have now given marching orders to the municipality’s lawyers to press on with the Maple Pool campground case.
And legal counsel for the new party in the case, who is
raising a constitutional Charter of Rights issue on behalf of
a site resident, says she hopes to file her detailed pleadings
with the court within days.
In a further move, many of the ‘Friends of Maple Pool’
who are opposing the City Council’s stance on the issue
have identified themselves to avoid being seen as a group
in the shadows - and are encouraging other sympathizers
to join them.
As fully reported in Tuesday’s Echo, the City has issued
a lengthy statement explaining its position and why it
considers it is right to fight on, while the Friends of Maple
Pool have produced a strongly-worded counter-statement
of their own.
From the tone of both, it is clear the gloves are off in
what could be a long and expensive legal battle.
The official process to get things moving was explained
by the municipality’s chief administrative officer David
Allen this week.
“Through our lawyer, the next step will be to write to
the successful counsel for the new party (Lee Mayzes, who
is raising the Charter of Rights issues on behalf of campground resident Greg Wesson) and to Mr. Ward (counsel
representing site owners Jin and Dali Lin) to advise that
we are proceeding,” he said.
“We will request that they file the necessary order of Mr.
Justice Baird, and any responses and notices of
Constitutional Question they propose, and advise that the
City will be relying on its flood construction bylaw and
related Provincial regulations in this respect.
“Once we receive their new or amended response materials, we will begin preparation of our reply pleadings and
affidavits to respond to the Charter arguments and the
flood hazard issues.”
The Echo understands this process outside the court
could take some time, so any early resolution of the issue
that has become a political hot potato is now unlikely.
However, Mayzes told the Echo on Wednesday she
would be ready to file her pleadings with the court very
soon, likely within days, to keep the matter moving from
her side.
Meanwhile, so that people could see just who they are,
the Friends of Maple Pool are keen to nail their personal
colours to the mast.
(Continued on page 2)

Lest we forget
New Courtenay streets to be named in honour of two WW1 soldiers
By Philip Round
Echo Staff
Two new streets in Courtenay are
to be named in honour of two local
soldiers who died on active service in
the First World War, which started
100 years ago this year.
Developers of the Copperfield residential subdivision at the junction of
Cumberland and Arden Roads have
chosen to honour the family names
of Corporal Robert Swanson and
Corporal John Steele for two of the
new roads accessing the properties.
City councillors endorsed the
choice at their meeting on Monday,
noting the developer had chosen
them from names memorialized on
the Sandwick Cairn but not yet allocated to any street in the municipality.

Ends April 30/14

Accounts of the life, times and service of the two men are recorded in
the Lest We Forget memorial book
compiled in the 1970s by Ruth
Masters and displayed at Courtenay
and District Museum. Masters spent
years gathering what information she
could about all those named on the
war memorial.
Swanson was born in Nanaimo in
1895, and in 1916 enlisted with the
newly-created 102nd Canadian
Infantry Battalion - initially referred
to as the Comox-Atlin Overseas
Battalion. He sailed to Britain in
June of that year, and then on to
France in August.
He was promoted twice while on
active service, and was awarded the
Military Medal for gallant conduct in
forcing the enemy back by “throwing
bombs until he was absolutely

exhausted” so a block of Allied troops
could move forward.
A few months later, a letter he sent
was quoted by the Courtenay Review.
In part, it read: “The work I am doing
is a little different from shoveling
snow in Courtenay, and the snowballs I throw are harder. Of course, I
don’t want to hold them too long,
because they may melt - and instead
of getting cold they get hot.”
He was killed in action on May 11,
1917 and is buried in a military cemetery at Vimy in France.
Corporal John Steele - whose family name appears to be incorrectly
carved on the memorial cairn tablet,
missing the final ‘e’ - was born in
Inverness in 1878, and was part of a
group of Scottish settlers who headed
for Canada in 1884 when he was just
six years of age.

His family initially went to the
North West Territories, but John
arrived in BC in 1900, working in
logging camps before enlisting in the
same regiment as Swanson - the
102nd Battalion - two days before
Christmas 1915.
He embarked for Britain in June
the following year and set sail for
France on the same day as Swanson
- August 11, 1916.
On October 8 he wrote to his brother, noting he couldn’t say too much
because of the censors, but wanted to
send “just a few lines to let you know
I am well.” He added: “We have been
on the front for some time and our
losses have been rather heavy, but I
am glad to say most of them will be
back with us soon.”
He, too, had been promoted twice
while in France, but was killed by a

heavy explosive shell in late October,
just three weeks after sending that
note home. He is buried in a military
cemetery near Rouen in France.
A third shorter street in the
Copperfield development will carry
the name of another well-known
local family that has made its mark
on the community - Bickle.
The family was deeply involved
with newspaper publishing on
Vancouver Island for more than a
century, including founding the
Comox District Free Press, and also
established and ran popular theatres
in Cumberland, Courtenay and
Campbell River. Several organizations and causes have benefited from
bequests from the family over the
years.
pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

A2 Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014

News

Comox Valley Weather











Friday, 18 April
Cloudy.
High 11°C.

Saturday, 19 April
Cloudy with 60% chance
of showers.
Low 8°C. High 10°C.

Sunday, 20 April
Cloudy.
Low 7°C. High 12°C.

Monday, 21 April
Cloudy with 60% chance
of showers.
Low 7°C. High 13°C.

Tuesday, 22 April
Cloudy.
Low 6°C. High 14°C.

i

For the latest Comox Valley Weather visit: www.comoxvalleyecho.com

Taxes set to rise $33 for Cumberland residents
By Drew A. Penner
Echo Staff
Cumberland homeowners are
expected to face a 1.5 per cent tax
increase after council voted unanimously in support of first and second
readings of the 2014 financial plan
and tax rate bylaws April 14. This
means based on an average family
residential assessment of $259,401
taxes would go up $33 per resident.
“I think we’re pretty strong,” said
chief financial officer Michelle
Mason. “We’re trending towards having good stability.”
The financial plan is not set in
stone yet and would still need to pass
third and fourth readings.
The modest increase results from
operating expenses under the document of $4.12 million and a budget
for capital acquisitions of $2.49 million.
Tax rates for industrial (which represents $6.6 million in assessments)
and business (which represents $40
million in assessments) went up to
8.6.
With $674,388 in capital reserves
- up 34.7 per cent from last year - and
a surplus of $3,617,248 left over from

last year the Village has a bit of wiggle room.
According to Mason there’s a lot of
room for growth in the community,
although with that growth will come
additional costs.
“We need to probably start looking
at figuring out how to replace all our
infrastructure in a timely manner,”
she said. “We’re in a net asset position.
“We’re not using debt as much. Of
course we have debt on the books.”
Essentially what this means is
future taxes won’t be required to pay
for past expenses.
Dam upgrade big item
This year’s budget forecasts some
impressive construction for the community.
The Steven’s Lake Dam seismic
stabilization program is the largest
ticket item on the list of capital projects this year at $575,900, although
the newer plan to buttress the dam
with rocks the Village hopes to get
for free from TimberWest is significantly lower than it would have cost
to build a completely new dam, as
expected.
There is $359,160 in place for vehi-

cle replacement.
Municipal infrastructure improvements are a big part of upgrades that
will be taking place next year, under
the proposed spending.
And the Village is embarking on a
further inflow and infiltration reduction investigation process to the tune
of $15,000 next year to figure out
what else needs to be done to find out
which pipes need to be fixed next.
There is also $440,000 to be used
to acquire land for a new fire hall this
year.
Extra money for wildfire protection
There had been $10,000 set aside
for a wild land structural protection
unit trailer, which comes from the
host community amenity fund - the
$300,000 annual contribution from
the regional district as a bonus for
having the landfill in Cumberland’s
back yard. But elected officials went
further. They felt it was important to
pitch in an additional $10,000 on top
from the operating budget in order to
properly outfit that mobile fire support system with the correct tools to
get the job done.
“You can’t stop a wild fire,”
explained fire chief Mike Williamson.

MP for Vancouver Island North, John Duncan, presents a cerfiticate of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights to Comox Valley Transition
Society executive director Heather Ney to mark National Victims of Crime Awareness Week.

Duncan says new bill to treat victims of crime better
By Michael Briones
Echo Staff
National Victims of Crime
Awareness Week was celebrated
across Canada last week.
With the theme “Taking Action,”

its aim was to raise awareness about
issues facing victims of crime and
the services, programs and laws in
place to help victims and their families.
Among the many events that were
organized during Victims Week was

Friends of Maple Pool
(Continued from page 1)
They include a number of wellknown businesspeople and citizens
in the Valley, several of whom have
offered their professional skills,
labour or materials to assist the
campground in any necessary
improvements. And they are keen to
note they come from right across the
political spectrum.
Among the names are Mike
Hamilton, Evelyn Gillespie, Bob
Wells, Andrew Gower, James Clancy,

Brent Cunliffe, Ted Brooks, Tom
Grant, Jeff Hartbower, Danny
Zanbilowicz, Rudy Sanchez, Jean
Rowe, Dennis and Brian Dineen,
Jorden Marshall, Glen McInnes, Jack
McLeod and Andy Whitaker.
Now that it appears there could be
a long road ahead before the issue is
resolved, the Friends say they will be
setting up a website shortly to share
information with the public and to
receive further messages of support.
pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

the free public presentation hosted
by the Comox Valley Community
Justice Centre. It featured North
America’s leading gender violence
educator, Dr. Jackson Katz, who
focused on strategies for engaging
men and boys in gender violence
prevention, on the importance of
collaboration with women and the
vulnerable, the powerful role that
bystanders play.
John Duncan, MP for Vancouver
Island North, attended the event. He
brought to light on Monday the
Federal Government’s recent action
to create the Canadian Victims Bill
of Rights to give victims a more
effective voice in the criminal justice system.
“We are proud to rebalance the
scales of Canadian justice to ensure
that innocent victims of crime have
clear rights in our system,” said

“We would set up these sprinkler
systems and ponds that are
unmanned.”
When the fire goes through it goes
through really quickly and it dies out
and a lot of houses can be saved.
“Cumberland has places where it
can happen,” he said. “It takes an
engine to protect a house. We only
have two engines. With the unit we
can probably save six houses.”
Recreation has a high priority
Recreation will get a huge boost
over the next year in Cumberland,
which has a significant number of
families with young and growing
children.
The trail network will get kiosks
for $6,000. Cumberland Lake Park is
in line for $16,100 towards the boat
dock replacement and $12,000 for a
water reservoir tank. The dog park
would get $6,465 worth of upgrades
and $20,800 would go to landscaping
Village Park.
Bikers and skaters got a major vote
in their favour at the meeting when
councilors supported $27,000 for a
jump park, $25,000 for skate park
designs and $300,000 to be set aside
for its actual construction. This repDuncan. “The new legislation introduced in parliament aims to ensure
that victims are at the heart of our
judicial system and that they have the
right to information protection, participation and restitution.”
Duncan said that they want to
make it known to victims that the
government has heard them and are
squarely on their side.
“Victims will have enforceable
rights in Canada’s criminal justice
system, will be treated with the
respect and fairness they deserved and
have a stronger voice,” he said.
Duncan presented a Canadian
Victims Bill of Rights certificate to
Heather Ney, executive director of the
Comox Valley Transitional Society,
which organizes the annual Purple
Ribbon Campaign.
Ney said they were pleased to
receive funding of $2,700 from the
Department of Justice Canada to be
able to realize their long-time wish to
host Dr. Katz, who is recognized as
one of America’s leading antisexist
male activists and one of the key
architects of the “bystander” approach
to gender violation prevention.
During his visit in the Valley, Katz
made a number of public presentations that included one at Mark Isfeld
titled the “Macho Paradox: why some
men hurt women and how all men
can help. Katz also had a men’s leadership breakfast that was attended by
over 60 leaders in the community.
“What he had to say and the challenges he gave to the community was
well-received,” said Ney.
The campaign, said Ney, is helping
raise awareness on the issue of domestic violence and also in challenging
the people to stand up against it.
“That is exactly what Dr. Katz’s
message was,” said Ney. “He was rein-

resents a full year of money
Cumberland receives for accepting
the rest of the Valley’s waste.
Strategic goals were recognized
with $32,000 for the Cemeteries
Master Plan, $33,000 for the Heritage
Structure
Conservation
and
Management Plan and $136,275 for
the Liquid Waste Management Plan,
among other priorities.
Getting ready for future growth
It’s all meant to prep the community for its future growth opportunities.
“With the development that can
occur in Cumberland we have the
potential to grow quite well,” Mason
said. “With that brings a higher
assessment base.”
All that vacant land would create
more tax revenue once developed.
“That will bring us a higher value
for property assessment,” she said.
“With that comes extra costs of
course.”
How quickly this could happen is
the big question mark in the scenario.
“The economy has sort of slowed
down,” she said.
“It’s anyone’s guess now how it
will move forward.”
forcing what we’ve been saying in the
last three years. Sometimes you have
to hear it from a man, which is the
unfortunate thing. But I think people
were taking notes. He challenges leaders to be good mentors of healthy
relationships and anti-gender violence
for the youth in any community.”
The ultimate goal, Ney said, is to
reduce the amount of domestic and
family violence in the Comox Valley
and in the world “by changing attitudes towards power and control.”

Final approval
to waive blue
box fee in
Courtenay
Final approval has been given to
curbside garbage, yard waste and
recycling collection charges Courtenay
homeowners will pay with their property taxes this year.
As previously reported, the original
plan for a total $163 annual charge for
each single-family home is being
reduced to just over $152. That’s
because from May 19 the City will not
have to cover the cost of blue box
pickup, as it will be paid for from
financial incentives offered to the
municipality by Multi-Materials BC at least for this year.
At Monday night’s council meeting,
a bylaw containing the revised figures, including a similar $11 credit for
those in multi-family properties, was
given final approval.

COMOX VALLEY BOOK FRIENDS

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Please note this site is not suitable for
wheelchairs, walkers or strollers

All aboard to have a say
on future of bus services
By Philip Round
Echo Staff
A second round of community
consultation on the future of bus
services in the Comox Valley will
take place next week - and, appropriately, it will be hosted on a bus.
Comox Valley Regional District
and BC Transit are using the Transit
Future exhibition bus for a tour of
the Valley starting on Wednesday
(April 23) and running through to
Saturday.
It will call at 11 locations, from
Oyster River to Buckley Bay, over the
four days and stay for between an
hour and three hours depending on
the site.
The tour will allow people to view
the displays and complete surveys to
give their opinions on everything
from routes and bus sizes to fare
levels and subsidies.

The Transit Future team will be
travelling with the bus to answer
questions seek feedback on the proposed transit network that has been
developed following the phase one
consultations.
The exhibition bus first toured the
Comox Valley last summer, seeking
public opinion in order to develop
the region’s 25-year Transit Future
Plan. During that first phase more
than 1,700 people hopped on board
the bus, many of them on Canada
Day when the bus was stationed at
Lewis Park.
The full program of stops next
week is: Wednesday (April 23): 11
a.m.-1 p.m. Dunsmuir Ave (between
2nd and 3rd), Cumberland; 2-4 p.m.
I-Hos Gallery, Comox Road; and 5-7
p.m. Discovery Foods, Oyster River.
Thursday (April 24): 9-11 a.m.
Driftwood Mall, Courtenay; 12:301.30 p.m. Union Bay Post Office; and

3-5:30 p.m. Downtown Courtenay
(4th and Cliffe). Friday (April 25):
9-11:30 a.m. Quality Foods, Comox;
1-3 p.m. Comox Centre Mall; and
4:30-6 p.m. Buckley Bay ferry terminal. Saturday April 26: 9-12 noon
Comox Valley Farmers Market,
Headquarters Road, Courtenay; and
1-4 p.m. Earth Week Festival, Lake
Trail School, Courtenay.
The survey can also be completed
online until May 9 at www.bctransit.
com/transitfuture and then click on
the ‘Comox Valley’ link to learn
more and take part.
Decisions on the long-term shape
of bus services will likely be taken
regional district directors later this
summer, so that the first steps in
implementing any near-term changes can take place next year, budgets
permitting.
pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

REZONING OF INDUSTRIAL LAND WILL BE FOCUS OF PUBLIC HEARING
By Philip Round
Echo Staff
Proposals to amend the zoning of
nearly eight acres of light industrial
land in south Courtenay are to be the
focus of a public hearing.
The vacant property, between
Christie Parkway and the E&N railway track, is currently zoned
‘Industrial Light’ - an inheritance
from the days when it was within
Comox Valley Regional District’s
jurisdiction.
Now Upper Island Developments
Ltd. (UID) proposes to give it what is
called ‘Industrial 2’ zoning, which
adds several potential commercial
uses to the land while deleting others.

Among the new possibilities
would be a commercial laundry,
auction centre, indoor entertainment
facility, pet day care, printing and
publishing operation, and even a
school or radio station. Plenty of
other activities already allowed on
the land would remain, such as
manufacturing, auto repair and servicing, veterinary clinic, and warehousing.
Uses now existing, but which
would no longer be allowed if the
change in zoning goes through,
include garden nurseries, commercial greenhouses, wood processing,
pet crematoria, and bed-and-breakfast operations.
UID’s ultimate idea if the new
zoning is approved is to subdivide

the long narrow site into as many as
14 marketable lots, each around half
an acre in size and all accessed from
the old Island Highway via Marriot
Road and Christie Parkway. The
possibility would exist to link adjoining lots to create bigger sites for
interested clients.
City planners support the proposal
while noting that if the subsequent
subdivision of the land proceeds, the
applicant should be required to carry
out some road improvements and
also extend City sewer and water
mains to service all the lots.
Council agreed on Monday the
public hearing should be held on
Monday, May 5 at Courtenay City
Hall (5 p.m.).
pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

LINES GOING DOWN: The painting of new road markings to create dedicated bike lanes,
designated on-street parking stalls, and turn lanes with directional arrows continued
along Fitzgerald Avenue in Courtenay this week. Because of the arrival of wet weather
mid-week, there were expected to be some delays in completing the work, which also
aims to improve sightlines at junctions and enhance pedestrian crossings. The project
affects the stretch of the road between 8th and 21st Streets and is being funded mainly by the City, although grants towards the cost are being sought from the provincial
government and ICBC.

BC’s cultural push results in $34.5k for friendship centre
Future of $150k from feds
for Wachiay remains
in question
By Drew A. Penner
Echo Staff
The provincial government has infused a
local aboriginal organization with thousands of
dollars, just as it runs out of $150,000 in federal funding, at least for now. The Wachiay
Friendship Centre Society in Courtenay was
given $34,500 as part of the latest round of provincial grants under the BC Creative Spaces
program to help further its screen-printing and
northwest coast arts education.
“It just came in the mail,” said Michael
Colclough, executive director of the friendship
centre on Monday. “That’s for building a mezzanine floor in our building.”
Currently wet and dry labs have displaced

workers from two offices as the 35-week course,
now sanctioned by School District 71, moves
through its third year.
Meanwhile, the organization was told in
early February by the Harper Conservatives it
would lose $85,000 in annual funding for core
operations and $70,000 for its Cultural
Connections for Aboriginal Youth initiative.
Colclough is optimistic this funding can be
regained, although he expects there will be a lot
more paperwork involved.
“We wish we would have had more advance
notice,” he said. “We can proceed without those
funds for a little while.”
The local friendship centre provides support
to elders in the community, aids families dealing with the affects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder, offers rental subsidies and referrals to
offset housing challenges and runs an after
school youth drop-in program, among other
programs.
The drop-in program falls under the Cultural
Connections for Aboriginal Youth banner,
which equips students with employment readiness, healthy living and healthy eating compo-

nents, and is currently at risk due to the loss in
federal funds.
“We feel you have to have a healthy body to
have a healthy mind,” he said, noting work-out
sessions are held twice a week.
The friendship centre serves the 4,000 aboriginals in the Comox Valley and 7,000 in the
Strathcona region. However, the majority of
Wachiay clients are non-aboriginal people who
they are happy to support, as well.
The youth program also helps teach aboriginal youth here in Courtenay a little more about
their past.
“When you’re living in an urban setting and
you’ve never lived on the reserve basically
you’re disenfranchised,” he said. “You’re a wandering soul that doesn’t have any link to your
community.”
Local artists Andy Everson and Andy
MacDougal help teach the art program, the one
receiving the new provincial funding.
“It’s open to any artist who wishes to screen
print,” Colclough explained. “Eventually it’s
going to be some sort of a social enterprise
cooperative.” In total non-profit cultural organi-

zations, First Nations and friendship centres
will share $804,000 in these provincial art
infrastructure grants.
“Arts and culture organizations add vitality
and expression to community life,” said community, sport and cultural development minister Coralee Oakes in a release.
“Arts infrastructure funding will enable great
local organizations and First Nations communities to expand, renovate and improve their creative spaces. These practical investments will
help British Columbia’s vibrant cultural life
continue to flourish.”
So far the BC Creative Spaces program has
awarded 41 grants to help arts and cultural
organizations in communities throughout the
province develop new spaces, improve existing
facilities and either purchase or upgrade specialized equipment.
Other projects recently announced include
$24,000 for the Evergreen Cultural Centre
Society in Coquitlam, $21,000 for the Island
Mountain Arts Society in Wells, $15,000 for the
Stage North Theatre Society in Fort St. John and
$13,000 for the Okanagan Symphony Society

Beginning April 21 thru to June 27, 2014 construction crews will
be upgrading sewer mains, roads, and sidewalks along Beaufort
Avenue; mainly between Nordin Street and Comox Avenue. Non
local motorists and pedestrians are encouraged to use alternate
routes around the construction zone to avoid delays. Local
residents and service providers will experience single lane
alternating traffic between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 pm,
and may experience delays from time to time. Emergency services
will maintain unrestricted access thru the site, at all times.
Motorists are asked to allow extra time, exercise caution, and
observe directions given by traffic control personnel.

If you have any construction or traffic related questions or
concerns regarding this project, please contact Knappett
Industries at (250)390-3022, or info@knappettindustries.com
We thank you in advance for your
cooperation during this construction period.

A4 Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014

Gardening

Top 10 plants for the spring garden
By Ellen Presley
Anderton Nursery

Jamey Lauinger

Valley Succulent
Specialty
Nursery opens
this weekend
Whether you are looking for an
unusual gift for a gardener friend,
an indoor cacti or a succulent for
your garden, Valley Succulent
Specialty Nursery has hundreds
(thousands) of succulents and
cacti that will amaze and fascinate you.
Jamey Lauinger, the owner specializes in seeking out rare and
unusual species of cold hardy
succulents and cacti both locally
and internationally and growing
many of these species from seed.
This year the opening for the
nursery is April 19th and 20th,
from 9:00 am-5:00 pm.
The nursery is located at 2210
Anderton Road at the corner of
Anderton and Ellenor Road (ferry
road).
During the season, regular
hours will be Friday 12 to 5 pm,
Sat 1-5 and Sun 11-4 and by
appointment.
Valley Succulent takes cash at
this point.
For more information and to
see the wide range of plants available visit www.valleysucculents.
ca or Facebook
Drop by this Saturday or
Sunday and enjoy a complimentary coffee and get your
name in the hat for the Grand
Prize draw!

Tim e

Spring is such a wonderful time
of year. After the dormant Winter,
buds and blossoms begin to break
forth. When planning your garden,
make sure you indulge in some of
the fantastic array of plants available. We often try to rush the season and head straight to Summer
but don’t miss the magic of
Spring.
For structure add some trees
such as the Magnolia. There are
many different types of Magnolia
and one of the most stunning is
the Star Magnolia. It is like fireworks bursting from the garden,
each bud exploding in multiple
petals. Two easy to grow varieties
are the Award of Merit RHS,
Magnolia ‘Leonard Messel’ which
is a Lilac-pink and the showy
white Magnolia stellata. Both are
slightly fragrant, like full sun to
part shade and are easy to grow.
At only 15-20 feet, they will suit
most yards and the deer don’t nibble on them.
For a golden blaze of color most
people know the Forsythia, but
don’t overlook the Kerria japonica
pleniflora (Japanese Rose). This
plant forms a lovely bush of large
fluffy, yellow pom-pom like flowers. It is a very vigorous grower,
loves full sun or part shade, is disease and pest free and easy to
maintain. As it grows to maturity
(8-10’), the many branches arch in
graceful sprays of yellow, creating
rays of sunshine in your garden.
A definite must for any Spring
garden is the hardy Ribes sanguineum ‘King Edward VII’
(Flowering currant). Beautiful
clusters of tiny pink flowers attract
the hummingbirds to your garden
and later produce blue-black berries that feed other wildlife. It
likes the full sun, moist but well
drained soil, is easy to grow and
the deer don’t eat it.
A charming little bush is the
Berberis thunbergii ‘Golden
Nugget’. It has attractive yellow
leaves that start in the Spring with
a hint of pink, maintain their wonderful color all Summer and then
turn orange in the Fall. It also produces small berries which attract
the birds. It is drought tolerant,
deer resistant and will last in the
garden for 20 years. Excellent border plant.
Forget-me-not is a wonderful
Spring flower with tiny blue flowers, but it tends to reseed everywhere. For a more well-behaved

n
to get into the Garde

Pulmonaria ‘Little Star’

Arabis caucasica variegata is a wonderful plant

A must for any spring garden is the hardy Ribes sanguineum King Edward VII

flower heads which start out pink
and turn cobalt blue as they
mature. This plant attracts hummingbirds to your garden and the
variegation of the leaves really
brightens up a dark area.
The Brunnera macrophylla
‘Looking Glass’ and ‘Hadspen
Cream’ have small delicate blue
flowers with a carpet of variegated
foliage in shades of light green,
cream and white. Great for the
shade garden and rabbits don’t eat
them.
For the sun, the fragrant Aurinia
saxatillis ‘Basket of Gold’ or ‘Gold
Dust’ adds sprays of sunshine
along the garden path. This perennial Alyssum is easy to grow and

makes an excellent ground cover
or use to cascade over rock walls.
It will attract butterflies but the
deer will leave it alone. Plant in
full sun and well-drained soil.
Aubretia is another great ground
cover adding the Easter colors to
the garden: mounds of deep pink
and purple trailing over rock
walls. Loving the full sun, this
hardy plant is great for rambling
throughout the rock garden. Give
it good drainage and trim back
after blooming.
Euphorbias have lovely form
and texture. They vary in height
and add interest and warmth to
the garden. Euphorbia ‘Wulfieii’ is
a great architectural plant. It will
get up to 3 feet in a couple of
years, is great as a cut flower,
loves the full sun and is drought
resistant. The dwarf Euphorbia
‘Polychroma’ (Cushion Spurge)
only grows to 12 inches in height
and width. They are all rabbit and
deer resistant and the flowers
(Bracts) are very long lasting.
It is hard not to fall in love with
every plant, but the one that is
amazing this year is the Arabis
caucasica variegata (Wall Cress). It
is outstanding. This plant has a
wonderful white flower but the
leaf is extraordinary. It is a serrated light green leaf edged in a
creamy white. Great in the rock
garden or used to edge your garden, Arabis are drought tolerant,
deer and rabbit resistant, evergreen and fragrant. Give them
good drainage and trim after
blooming.
Make the most out of your garden by capturing all the seasons.
These Spring plants should get
your gardening off to a good start.
Happy Gardening.

Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014 A5

News

e
For Som

Things,

You Still H ave All Day

A L L D AY G R I L L

795 Ryan Road
Our full breakfast menu is available until 4pm every day

Comox Firefighters
to donate more AEDS

Charis Hughes practices using her Worship Flags in preparation for Easter morning.

St. Peter’s plans community Easter celebration
Local church relocates to the Comox Recreation Centre for Easter morning
There is nothing like a great celebration!
And that is just what St. Peter’s Church in
Comox is planning for Easter Sunday morning - a great celebration!
The service will open with a short dramatic presentation. Traditional hymns and
modern worship songs will be sung - all
declaring the good news of the Risen Lord!
The music is sure to be beautiful.
Young liturgical dancers have been preparing to share their gifts of worship and
the children of the parish will be joining
the festival.
St. Peter’s Church has once again decided
to move their Easter Sunday morning service to the Comox Recreation Centre.

“Last year, we celebrated The Resurrection
at the Comox Recreation Centre, and we
were able to welcome many community
members to come and join us,“ declares
Jim Lyster, the Parish Priest. “We hope that
many people will come and join us again.
Please know that you are very welcome.”
While there will be no formal nursery or
Sunday School, families with young children will find a quiet play centre open
during the entire service. Activity packs for
children will also be available. Following
the service, children will enjoy taking part
in an egg hunt.
You don’t have to be Anglican to appreciate the joy of this Easter Sunday morning

service. All will find a warm welcome to
discover the hope that is open to all.
Please take note that the service time is
1/2 hour earlier than usual. Easter Sunday
Worship will begin at 9:30 am on April
20th at the Comox Recreation Centre, located at 1855 Noel Ave in Comox.
Other Easter Weekend Services will take
place at St. Peter’s Church on the corner of
Church St. and Comox Avenue. These will
include a Contemporary Vigil on Saturday
April 19 at 5:40 p.m. and a Prayer Book
Resurrection Sunday Service at 7:30 am.
For more information, please call 250339-6416.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can strike at any timeduring work, while at church, or while visiting your local
business. Fewer than 10% of SCA victims typically survive,
but studies show that 30% to 50% would likely survive if
CPR and AEDs were used within five minutes of collapse.
Communities across the country are responding by implementing Public Access Defibrillation programs. Public
Access Defibrillation programs include both access to
AEDS and training.
Comox Fire Rescue knows the value of AEDs as they
carry AEDs on most of their emergency vehicles and also
have one mounted in their fire station.
They are hoping to have more public access AEDs available in Comox, particularly in Comox businesses where
many citizens spend a lot of time.
Their long term goal is to have an AED available in
almost every business and public building in Comox.
Public access AEDS are very simple to use, maintain and
do save lives!
Comox Fire Rescue is hoping many businesses will purchase their own AED. However they are also willing to cost
sharing an AED for up to ten businesses.
A public access AED costs approximately $1500.00. The
fire department has agreed that if a business were to
donate half of this amount ($750.00) the fire department
would cover the remaining cost and place an AED in the
business. They will also provide both CPR and AED training to the businesses staff.
A public access AED located in your business can help
to save the life of a valued customer, staff member or even
yourself.
Please contact Comox Fire Rescue at firehall@comox.ca
if you have any questions or would like to participate in
this exciting project.

The Easter Bunny Has a Taste for Luxury
Z4 Roadster 3.0i
2003 BMW
B

2003 BMW 325i Touring Wagon
Roadster

Was
$17,282

Was
$13,995

Now
$16,390

Now
$11,495
2011 Acura MDX
20

Was
$40,277

Now
$36,990

Was
$40,282

Was
$11,282

Now
$34,995

Now
$9,990
2010 BMW X3 30i

2009 Lexus RX350 Luxury

Was
$31,777

ry

Was
$30,187

Now
$29,490

Now
$27990

The Easter Bunny
The Easter
Surprised
Bunny Surprised
us with
us with
eggs
eggs
ininthese
these vehicles
vehicles
so we so
are marking
we are
them down to unbeatable prices. Turns
out the
Easterto
Bunny
has a soft spotprices.
for luxury vehicles.
them
down
unbeatable

Expanded City boundary scoops
up more rural properties
By Philip Round
Echo Staff
Without fanfare, the municipal
boundary of Courtenay has been
extended to scoop up another part
of the neighbouring regional district.
Last year the City made a
well-publicized bid to annex more
than 100 properties to the south of
Courtenay, at that time all within
rural Area A - and affected owners
were surveyed for their opinions.
The results suggested views were
split. Of the 72 who responded, 43
supported the idea and 29 were
opposed - but a further 28 did not
reply at all.
The land proposed for annexation included properties in an area
roughly bounded by the E&N rail
track and the estuary shoreline,
between Fraser and Chinook Roads,
along with two large blocks further
west along Fraser Road, and a spur
of properties in the Monaltrie Road
and Park Lane areas.
When the City formally applied
to the provincial government for
permission to take jurisdiction of
the area, they were told more work

needed to be done before the minister could make a decision.
But at the same time, Victoria
approved three other annexations
requested by the City - the Lannan
Lands adjoining Crown Isle; Beaver
Meadows Farms off Anderton Road;
and the Baptist Church on Lake
Trail Road. Each of those properties was in a single ownership, and
all the owners supported the transfer, but the Province put the south
Courtenay expansion on the back
burner to give the implications
more thought.
After many months of silence in
public, the annexation was
approved through a provincial
Order in Council. That decision
was listed with numerous others
on a myriad of subjects in the BC
Gazette, the official legal journal,
and the City then informed the
affected residents.
Because of the difference in property taxes levied by the Regional
District and the City, a three-year
transition period has been offered
to phase in the increases. The
City’s director of financial services,
Tillie Manthey, confirmed to councillors last week that such a cush-

TAG DAY SUCCESS: Members of 1726 Canadian Scottish
Regiment Royal Canadian Army Cadets celebrated a hugely
successful ‘tag day’ on Saturday. Money raised during the
event will help fund various cadet activities, as well as
purchase new uniforms and more. Pictured collecting
ion has been built in to this year’s
proposed municipal budget.
And while homeowners in the
area will each face a big bills for
hooking up to a new public sewer
passing through the area to get
them off existing septic systems,

outside Walmart are three of the many involved at various
locations in the Valley - from the left, Cadet Charlie Doll,
Lance Corporal Alex Potts, and Master Corporal Jeremy
Jensen-Smythe
(Photo: Rick Yurkewich)

they will be offered financial
arrangements allowing them to pay
back the money over 15 years.
Courtenay’s director of development services, Peter Crawford, told
the Echo this week that in the near
future there would be further com-

munication with residents about
the issues and opportunities now
they were within the municipal
boundary.
pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

www.cvts.ca

A6 Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014

News

Island politicians
overwhelmed by loss
of Jim Flaherty
By Drew A. Penner
Echo Staff
In the darkest days after
Vancouver Island North MP John
Duncan lost his Aboriginal Affairs
and Northern Development portfolio there weren’t a ton of friendly
phone calls pouring in from
Ottawa.
But finance minister Jim Flaherty
did a bit of research, picked up the
phone and implored him to keep
his chin up.
“He just wanted to make sure
that this was only a setback,” he
said. “It made all the difference to
me. And it changed everything. We
were no longer cabinet colleagues
- we were friends”
Ultimately Duncan would be
reinstated as a minister and given
the role of chief government whip,
and Flaherty would set the
Canadian economy on course
towards balanced budget land
before he stepped down earlier this
year.
But he died suddenly April 10,
just days after resigning.
Duncan was devastated.
“This has been a very emotional
and significant time for everybody,” he said the following day,
describing the scene on Parliament
Hill. “Everybody’s basically leaving
the Parliament buildings. It’s very
quiet. It’s good that we had a
planned recess for the next two
weeks. I don’t think anybody felt
good about trying to proceed in a
normal way with the Legislature.”
John Duncan has set up a book
of condolences constituents can
sign at his Campbell River office
until May 2.
Flaherty served as a mentor to
many politicians in Ottawa and
was determined to keep the country on solid financial footing in the
face of a global recession.
“Canada’s response to the Great
Recession of 2008 served us so well
it’s now a textbook example for the
rest of the world and for us in the
future of what to do when the global financial world is falling apart,”
Duncan said, adding he will always
remember the good times with
Flaherty, too. “He crossed party
lines and was a great human being
and was a guy that liked to have
fun as well.”
Green Party leader Elizabeth
May worked with Duncan to promote an initiative to build a national establish a national missing persons DNA databank, an idea that
sprung out of the search for a girl
who disappeared just south of
Courtenay in 1993.
When Flaherty put the long
fought for idea in his last budget,
May gave him a hug.
“Having it approved in this budget meant a huge amount,” she
said. “I’m glad I had the chance to
thank him properly.”
Flaherty even mentioned the
Comox Valley girl, Lindsey
Nicholls, in his speech. After all,
the initiative was named after her.
Judy Peterson, the missing girl’s
mother, was present for the ceremony and has been reflecting on
Flaherty’s broader legacy in recent
days.
“I now understand that many
budget decisions are attached to
very personal issues and I am so
thankful that he understood how
important the missing persons
DNA databank will be for all
Canadians,” she said. “Sitting in
the House of Commons gallery and
watching him announce funding
for Lindsey’s Law was a surreal
and very emotional experience. I
wish I could have thanked him in
person.”
James Lunney, MP for NanaimoAlberni, said Island residents have
benefited from projects Flaherty
was instrumental in supporting
such as the Volunteer Firefighters
Tax Credit and the Search and
Rescue Volunteers Tax Credit.
“Jim was a prince and a man and
everybody loved him,” he said. “He

Mary Lynn 250-338-8024

never let on that he was suffering.
He always had a smile. He was
quite an amazing guy.”
Catherine Bell, who preceded
John Duncan as MP for Vancouver
Island North, said even though as
an NDP member she didn’t agree
with many of his policies she still
had respect for Flaherty.
“I just feel so bad for his family,”
she said. “They’ve lost a hard-working guy. I don’t agree with his politics, coming from the other side,
but he didn’t make it personal. If
there’s a legacy he can leave I hope
it’s to inspire his colleagues in the
House to follow in his footsteps.”
I-Hos Gallary has a new expanded counter that manager Ramona Johnson said will help customers while they look at jewellery.

Commercial pot
ban now in force
A Courtenay-wide general prohibition of industrial-scale medical
marijuana production came in to
effect this week.
City Council unanimously gave
final approval to a zoning amendment bylaw on Monday that outlaws such facilities anywhere in
the municipality, unless a proponent applies to rezone a specific
site and council is then prepared to
approve the move after a full public
process.
The bylaw, which came into
effect immediately, also prohibits
medical marijuana production as a
home-based occupation.

I-HOS GALLERY SET TO SHOW-OFF NEW LOOK THIS WEEKEND
By Michael Briones
Echo Staff
The I-Hos Gallery got a makeover
this week.
Manager Ramona Johnson said she
can’t wait to open this Saturday sporting their new look.
“We’re quite excited about it,” said
Johnson. “It will be good.”
It’s I-Hos’ first renovation since it
opened 18 years ago. One of the
changes that customers will notice
first is the expansion of the counter
area where jewellery is displayed.
“Jewellery is our biggest seller,”
said Johnson. “I wanted to have a sitdown area for our rings and our

bracelets because normally when
people come to see or purchase them
they can be standing for an hour.
Now they have an area to sit.”
The new display area will also create more space for staff to move while
they take care of customers, said
Johnson.
“The work area we have right now
is quite small so when a lot of us are
working here we bump into each
other,” said Johnson. “Now it’s going
to be set up so that each jewellery
stand has its fully contained work
station. So everything that person is
going to need is going to be in the
drawers below them.”
To accommodate the increasing

number of visitors an extra cash register has also been added.
Johnson said the old counter has
been donated to the Habitat for
Humanity ReStore in Campbell River.
“We’ve used it for 18 years so it’s
kind of nice to know that some one
else is going to,” said Johnson.
“ReStore staff were quite excited to
get it. So something old for us is
something new for some one else.”
The gallery is owned and operated
by the K’omoks First Nation. It features authentic Northwest Coast artworks from renowned artists that
include woodcarvings, masks, clothing, prints, gold and silver jewellery,
cards and books.

Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014 A7

News

Lesley Chatman was among the Cumberland residents who provided input on the draft Official Community Plan

Public pitches in with particulars on OCP
By Drew A. Penner
Echo Staff
About 25 people attended a public
hearing April 15 considering
Cumberland
draft
Official
Community Plan prior to the province getting to have a look at the
final version of the vision and strategy document.
Councillors and staff listened as a
number of people from Cumberland
stood to make oral submissions at
the evening session held at the
Cultural Centre on Dunsmuir
Avenue.
“I do have some concerns about
the draft OCP and I felt like this was
the last kick at the can,” said Royston
Road resident Lesley Chapman,
explaining why it was important for
her to step up to have her voice
heard. “I just wanted to bring those
concerns to their attention to have
them considered.”
A big issue she mentioned was
around a new residential densification boundary which will designate
winners and losers in terms of who
can build secondary suites (i.e. carriage houses).
“They’re proposing intensification
in the downtown core and not on the
larger properties on the outskirts which are larger properties which
would be more contusive to carriage
houses,” she said. “Everyone could
benefit from having an in-law suite
to help their aging parent or help out
a child or bring in a secondary

income.”
She also said she was concerned
about the ability to remediate contaminated soil from an old firing
range by the Japanese town site
since it is set to be designated as a
park.
Chatman added it would be good
to have a bike lane from the Village
to the lake.
“Right now we have a partial bike
lane,” she said. “That would provide
another level of safety and be a
green mode of population.”
CAO Sundance Topham said it was
encouraging to have a solid chunk of
residents attend the public meeting
“It was good to hear positive comments about the work that has been
done,” he said, acknowledging the
feedback was mixed - particularly in
terms of the plan to build up the
core. “There was some people who
liked densification in the core and
some that thought that should
extend beyond the downtown area.”
In total seven members of the public spoke with comments during the
meeting.
The OCP has already gone through
first and second readings. Next council will review the minutes of the
public hearing and decide whether
to make changes or not.
After that the draft will be go out
for a look-over by the province. If all
goes well the document will be in
place by June.
For now administration is celebrating the progress that has been

made so far.
“This is an important process,”
Topham said. “I liked the fact that
people felt there was a good level of
engagement.
“People feel like they have had an
opportunity to be heard.”
It’s good exercise for residents
too, since a new zoning bylaw looms
on the horizon once the OCP is
finally approved.

Is this your photo?
This vintage photograph was found in a book donated to the 4R’s Education Centre
book sale. If it’s yours, it may be claimed at the Comox Valley Echo front office during
business hours.

City urges input as ‘Citizen Budget’ goes live
As the City of Courtenay closes in
on setting property tax rates for 2014,
it has launched its new online Citizen
Budget tool offering people the
chance to give feedback on this year’s
spending plans.
The survey is now available
through the City’s website (www.
courtenay.ca) and will run until June
30 - well after council tax notices
have been mailed out.
It can also be accessed direct by
logging on to http://courtenay.citizenbudget.com/
The City’s director of financial services and deputy chief administrative
officer, Tillie Manthey, said it would
allow the public to weigh in on
expenses for various City operations
and she hoped as many residents as

possible would make use of it.
“For this first year, we’ve set it up
so respondents can rate their level of
satisfaction with different budget categories,” she explained.
“It will give the public a chance to
read descriptions of our services in a
format that is much easier to understand than the traditional financial
reports.”
However, the full financial reports
are also available on the City website
for those that want to see more
detailed information.
Operating
budget
categories
include protective services (police,
fire, bylaw enforcement, building
inspections, emergency measures);
recreation, parks and culture; water
and sewer services; transportation;

and waste collection.
Respondents are also being asked
to list their top five important issues
facing the city, to give staff and elected officials a sense of the public’s key
concerns.
If the Citizen Budget tool proves
useful, the City will look into expanding it for the 2015 budget year, said
Manthey.
“We’d like to provide a tool in the
future where citizens can simulate
moving money around in the budget
and see the implications of those
choices,” she explained.
Council will use the results of the
survey to gauge public satisfaction
with the 2014 budget, and to help
guide the budget planning process for
2015 and beyond.

TRANSIT future

Open Houses

CruisePlus Presents

Phil Reimer’s Ports & Bows Island Tour

We want to hear from you. BC Transit is working with the Comox Valley
Regional District on the second phase of a 25-year future plan.

CROWN ISLE GOLF COURSE
399 Clubhouse Drive, Courtenay
Join CruisePlus and media celebrity, Phil Reimer, on a
‘Ports & Bows’ Island Tour as he shares his experiences with
cruising. He is well-known for his years as a reporter, producer, on air personality
and for the past 8 years - columnist for Ports & Bows, a hugely popular cruise column.
You will gain knowledge and insight from his 10-cruise-a-year schedule and learn
about cruise lines and best-kept secrets for: Northern Europe, the Panama Canal and
the growing popularity of river cruising.
Dave Frinton, owner of CruisePlus, has traveled on more than 65 cruises, visited all
seven continents and will oﬀer a short presentation and answer your cruise questions.

Do a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Phil and Dave Frinton and plan your perfect cruise!

Buy a New Car from Courtenay Kia this April!
Local Prizes with every
new car purchase in April.

$50 - $1000 Value

Offer(s) available on select new 2013/2014 models through participating dealers to qualified customers who take delivery by April 30,2014. Dealers may sell or lease for less. Some conditions apply. See dealer for complete details. All offers are subject to change without notice. Vehicles shown may include optional accessories and upgrades available at extra cost. All pricing includes delivery and destination
fees up to $1,665, other fees and certain levies (including tire levies) and $100 A/C charge (where applicable) and excludes licensing, registration, insurance, other taxes and variable dealer administration fees (up to $699). Other dealer charges may be required at the time of purchase. Other lease and financing options also available. "Offer available on the retail purchase/lease of any 2014 Rondo model from
participating retailers between April 1-30,2014, upon proof of current ownership/lease of a competitive cross-over vehicle. Competitive models include specific VW, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai, Honda, GM, Ford and Chrysler vehicles. Some conditions apply, ask your retailer or go to kia.ca for complete details. °°Cash purchase price for the new 2014 Rondo LX MT (RN551E) is $18,560 and includes a
cash savings of $5,000 (which is deducted from the negotiated selling price before taxes and cannot be combined with special lease and finance offers). Retailer may sell for less. AModel shown Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for 2014 Rondo EX Luxury (RN756E) is $32,195. ^Highway/ city fuel consumption is based on the 2014 Rondo 2.0L GDI 4-cyl (M/T). These updated estimates are based on the
Government of Canada's approved criteria and testing methods. Refer to the EnerGuide Fuel Consumption Guide. Your actual fuel consumption will vary based on driving habits and other factors. °The Bluetooth'9 wordmark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. 1SiriusJ XM and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Information in this advertisement is believed to be accurate at the time of printing. For more information on our 5-year warranty coverage, visit kia.ca or call us at 1-877-542-2886. Kia is a trademark of Kia Motors Corporation.

A8 Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014

News

Remembering a gentle soul on special ride
By Drew A. Penner
Echo Staff
Upwards of 200 people longboarded, biked, walked, volunteered and
more Saturday in memory of Ciaran
Martin, a 16-year-old Black Creek
longboarder who died after he was
struck by a vehicle while riding. The
first annual Cruise for Ciaran was led
by a police escort along a triangular
route through downtown, before
heartfelt songs, passionate tributes
and conscious hip hop greeted attendees at a life-affirming gathering at
Lewis Park in the heat of the sun.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;It means the world,â&#x20AC;? said his
mother Jacquie Martin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a true testament to who Ciaran was.â&#x20AC;?
She says it was nice to go around to
local businesses in the lead-up to the
fundraiser and hear stories of how
much of a mark such a gentle soul
could etch on the Comox Valley in his
few short years on the Earth.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was just about being a hippie
and having fun - and being free,â&#x20AC;? she
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had no idea he was so well
known in the community.â&#x20AC;?
Ciaran was that kid at GP Vanier
Secondary to whom no one seemed to
harbour any ill will. He loved to bust
out his hacky sac with friends or play
music in the hall from a small stereo.
One of his recent favourite songs was
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wake Me Upâ&#x20AC;? by Avicii, which has a
line that goes: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wish that I could stay
forever this young./Not afraid to close
my eyes./Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a game made for
everyone./And love is the prize.â&#x20AC;?
And he had fallen hard for longboarding.
On Jan. 2 Ciaran was struck by a
vehicle while longboarding on
Macaulay Road in Black Creek. A few
days later he died in hospital.
Amanda Tayor, 14, used to ride the
bus with Ciaran to school.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;My friend really, really liked to
skateboard,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was really
cool. He wanted peace for everybody.
He accepted anybody as his friend.â&#x20AC;?
She served as part of the committee
that organized the cruise.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of people liked him,â&#x20AC;? she
said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was famous across the
whole school.â&#x20AC;?
Wesley Yates, 17, hung out with
Ciaran every day at school, and went
boarding with him a few times. When
he heard the tragic news he and a
buddy came up with the idea for the
public ride.

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cruise for Cieranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attracted over 200 young people
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We thought it would be really cool
if we had a huge cruise come
through,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And so I set it up.â&#x20AC;?
Rebecca Cooper, 13, has fond memories of Ciaran.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was really calm and happy all
the time,â&#x20AC;? she said, adding with a
smile, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and he ate all my cheese and
bread.â&#x20AC;?
Her brother used to longboard with
Ciaran and after she heard he had
passed away she decided to volunteer
with the cruise.
Ciaranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mom wants to make sure
kids everywhere do wear helmets and
sign up to donate their organs.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;You think you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t live without
your child, and you know you have
to,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re never the
same.â&#x20AC;?
She also wants kids who knew
Ciaran to feel comfortable to send her
memories, photos or other well wishes, as it provides glimpses into the life
of her son that she hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t witnessed.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think you â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;go through it,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?
she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think you absorb it and it
becomes the new you.â&#x20AC;?

Ciaran Martin loved music, hacky sac and
longboarding but was killed when hit by a
vehicle while riding.
Photo by Kelda Robinson

WANTED
If you have any information about the whereabouts of either of these two
people, call the Comox Valley RCMP Detachment at 338-1321, or Comox
Valley Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477). You don’t have to
give your name and you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Comox Valley RCMP responded
to the following incidents between
April 7 and 14:
On April 7th the Comox Valley
RCMP were called to the parking
lot at 757 Ryan Road in Courtenay
to a report of a man acting suspiciously. A man was located in a
white colored truck and found to
have his genitalia exposed. The
man was arrested and later
released. This investigation is
continuing. (2014 - 3888)
On April 9th the Comox Valley
RCMP were called to a report of
an assault with a weapon at a residence on the 2100 block of
Comox Avenue in Comox. The
investigation revealed that an
intoxicated woman went to her
male friend’s home and an argument ensued and the man
received a cut on his hand from a
knife.
The woman was taken into custody and held for court. The
woman also had a no contact
order with the man. (2014-3955)
Police received a report of a stolen chainsaw from a business on
the 2200 block of Cliffe Avenue in

Courtenay on April 12th. The
chainsaw was checked and found
to be stolen from the Pilon tool
store on the North Island highway
in Courtenay. A suspect was identified and this investigation is
continuing. (2014-4106)
A theft of a Red/Blue/Black and
White colored Kona Mountain
bike was reported to police on
April 12th.
The bike was taken from a residence on the 1000 block of Edgett
road in Courtenay. (2014-4115)
On April 13th police received a
report of a theft from a locker in
the men’s change room at the
Aquatic center located at 377
Lerwick road in Courtenay. A wallet was stolen from the unlocked
locker while the owner was in the
shower. (2014-4171)

TWO YOUTHS FACING CHARGES FOR BREAKING IN AT MARK ISFELD
Comox Valley RCMP have arrested two male youths for breaking in
and stealing at Mark Isfeld
Secondary late last month.
The school’s alarm was set off
three times between March 25 and
30 that led RCMP to investigate. On
each call, police found that someone had smashed a window in a
door by the gymnasium entrance.
Once inside, police reported that
the culprits smashed their way into

a vending machine and made off
with an undisclosed amount of merchandise.
On March 30 at around 11:45 pm,
the school alarm went off and police
attended. A police dog was brought
to the scene and was able to track
down the two youths, who were
apprehended just a short distance
away
from
the school.
They had in

their possession several items of
candy, pop and chips.
Both males were arrested and are
now facing charges of break, enter
and theft. They could also be facing
charges of possession of stolen
property. They will appear in the
British Columbia Youth court on a
later date.

An independently owned and operated
newspaper published by
Echo Publications at
407-D Fifth Street, Courtenay, B.C.
V9N 1J7
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copyright. Reproduction in whole or in
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authorization from the publisher.

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Letters

Recreation and
culture integral
Re: Mayor Jangula’s comments about cutting
culture and recreation budgets.
I would be remiss as a visual artist if I did not
take the opportunity to comment on Mayor
Jangula’s suggestion of cutting culture and recreation budgets as a cost savings measure.
Culture and recreation are an integral part of
our community. No matter what part of the Valley
you live in. So often we hear community leaders,
elected officials in particular, speak proudly of the
fact that there are more artists per capita in the
Comox Valley than anywhere else. In fact it was
partially because of this that we were selected as
one of Canada’s “Cultural Capitals’ a few years
ago.
That certainly brought about a lot of chest
thumping and generated a great deal of positive
spin that could be used by many to promote the
exceptional lifestyle we all enjoy. Arts and culture, a great reason to live here, do business here,
encourage people to move here and most importantly attract visitors.
Allocating sufficient funds for arts, culture and
recreation is not just an expense. It is an investment not just for today or the next fiscal year but
for the future. Our culture and recreation needs to
be nurtured and added to, not diminished. It
should not be seen as a cost saving opportunity
but as an integral part of our infrastructure. If
anything we should be allocating more money
towards these activities that probably do more to
improve the vitality of our community than anything else.
It is comments like Mayor Jangula’s that make
every artist, artisan and all those associated with
recreation shudder. It flies in the face of all that
they are doing, the sacrifices they sometimes they
have to make, to ensure this community remains
a vibrant and attractive place to live, work and
play.
No Mayor Jangula, culture and recreation are
not something to be trifled with or marginalized,
they are to a great degree what defines our community.
Joe Smith
Comox Valley

LOSS OF UNIQUENESS OF PLACE
As yet another box store comes to Courtenay at
the Crown Isle mall in the form of Dollarama,
another fast food McDonald’s outlet, and another
Jiffy Lube, we witness the Comox Valley’s ‘race to
the bottom’ and the one-of-a-kind character of
our community being lost.
With decisions to site more cheap chain outlets
here, is the goal to have the Comox Valley become
so bland and impoverished that any trace of
diversity in our communities eventually vanishes?
Box stores and large chain stores fail the definition of ‘economic development’ - because they
pack a weak bang for the buck compared to other
economic activity.
To measure the ripple effects of a new business,
one needs to look ‘upstream’ to see how many
supplier jobs the area would gain, and then look
‘downstream’ to see how many jobs would be
created by the buying power of the people who
work at the new business.
The upstream of a box or chain store creates
very few jobs for the local economy (i.e., made in
China) and the downstream effects are usually
terrible. The retail jobs offered by such stores are
often part-time, minimum wage, with no health
care or other benefits.
Employees of these stores generally have small
disposable incomes: after paying for bare necessities, little is left to stimulate the local economy.
Building this type of new retail space we’re seeing
at Crown Isle just moves sales and low paying
jobs around.
It doesn’t grow the economy on a long-term
basis. And it mostly expands precarious service
jobs, rather than attracting value-added family
supporting jobs.
The failure of most box stores, chains and fastfood eateries to provide workers with a living
wage, full-time or permanent part-time hours
with benefits, often forces employees and their
families to seek out the assistance of social programs.
These are funded by taxpayers and add up to a
significant hidden cost that such stores bring into
a community.
The opening of the ‘new’ retail space at the
Crown Isle mall creates the false illusion that the
regional economy is prosperous, never mind the
closure of stores like Safeway that provides living
wages, full time jobs and benefits to a significant
number of people. One need only look at the
lease, for rent or for sale signs spreading over our
downtown cores to see there is confusion about
prosperity.
Whose vision is being realized with this Crown
Isle retail expansion - our elected City Councilors,
Comox Valley Economic Development Society,
Regional District, or land developers and paving
contractors?
A patch of forest is down to make way for the
cement monoculture. In the absence of unique
development, what about the trees’ value as
eco-assets, or the value of trails to the physical
and mental wellbeing of residents? Other countries’ healthcare providers are protecting forests
as an investment in community development. It
is time to reprioritize.
We have two ways of voting - casting our ballots in the November municipal elections and
with our wallets - if we have a choice, do we
really need to shop and eat at these retail outlets?
S. M Smith
Royston

Letters to the Editor

Why teachers may be forced into action
Like all of you, teachers only want
the best for their students.
Despite bargaining for more than a
year with the government there has
been little progress made at the negotiating table.
We have been waiting, very patiently,
for the government to provide the necessary funding required for us to move
forward in achieving a negotiated collective agreement.
Instead, they have attempted to
remove, yet again, the important provisions for class size and composition
and minimum levels of specialist teachers that the BC Supreme Court restored.
As a result teachers have voted 89% in
favour of job action.
Local teachers concur with the comments made by BCTF President, Jim
Iker, after our strike vote:
“As teachers, we do not take job
action, or even a vote on job action,
lightly. We care deeply about our
schools, our students, and their families. Many of us are parents or grandparents ourselves.
“BC teachers remain committed to
negotiating a deal at the table. That is
our goal.
“But once again, it depends on developments at the negotiating table. I

encourage you to reach out to your
local MLA and tell them to work with
us to get that deal negotiated at the
table.
“I want to thank our parents for the
work that they do with their children
and their support of us.”
How you can get involved and help:
• Talk to your child’s/grand-child’s
teacher(s) about the supports they need
to help our students succeed.
• Check out www.aFairDeal.ca
where you can quickly and easily
“Have your say” in a letter to the
Minister of Education and your MLA.
The site also provides quick access to a
great deal of information on the issues
around bargaining.
• Talk to friends, relatives, and others
in the community about the importance
of an agreement that is fair for teachers
and that will provide better support for
our students.
Five quick facts about any potential
job action we may be forced into:
1. A strike vote is a normal occurrence during negotiations of collective
agreements and helps apply pressure to
both parties during negotiations. Our
hope is that a settlement will be
reached without job action being necessary.

2. Whatever happens next will
depend entirely on progress at the
negotiating table.
3. If a first stage of job action does
become necessary, it will have no
impact on students’ learning. Teachers
will continue to be in classrooms,
teaching, preparing lessons, and assessing students. We will continue participating in voluntary activities, writing
report cards and communicating with
parents.
4. If at some point talks stall or the
government won’t make fair and reasonable proposals, rotating strikes
would be the next step.
5. We’ve made a commitment that
any full-scale strike will require another province-wide vote of the BCTF
membership.
Be assured that BC teachers are
strongly committed to reaching a negotiated agreement with government. We
truly appreciate all the support we continue to receive from all of you to help
us achieve this goal.
Respectfully submitted of behalf of
CDTA Members by:
Steve Stanley
CDTA President
Nick Moore
CDTA Vice President

More Beefs and Bouquets
To LUKE BLUE GUTHRIE, thank you for
a fabulous show on the opening day of the
Comox Valley Farmers Market. My daughter
and I enjoyed your show with Elizabeth and
picked up the groove. As the day ended we
quietly walked away, you caught up to us
and acknowleged our enjoyment of your
performance. You gave us a CD, we are really grateful. You are a great musician and I
hope your career continues for many years
and is as rewarding as your simple gesture
to us. Thank you so much. We shall always
be a fan. Again THANK YOU.
BIG BEEF to our elected representatives
who have no money to hire an extra police
officer but have $1.9 million for ongoing
curling rink renovations, unlimited funds to
continue litigation against Maple Pool and
$400,000 for a train that at best stops here
once a day and will probably take more of
our residents shopping south Island than
with bring south Islanders here.
To THE KIND PERSON who found my
watch at Costco last week, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU. I’m so happy to have it back.
MY BEEF is with our lovely Regional
District and their brilliance in closing all the
recycling drop sites on the Courtenay side of
the damn river. Due to the fact the majority
of the people who live in my region were so
brilliant in voting against curbside pick-up
for recycling, I now have to drive to
Cumberland and visit either the dump or
the garbage company (who kindly LOCK
their yard on Sundays) or out to Comox to
get rid of my recycling. You want us to recycle, provide us somewhere to do so that
doesn’t cost 10 bucks in gas to get to. Oh
and since the stuff has a recycle code on it
how about somewhere to get rid of
STYROFOAM.
I AM SICK of seeing the cigarette butts
on hospital grounds. Please stick your butt
up your butt. Thank you. For criminals that

are supposed to do community service, this
would be a good service, to pick up the
butts.
ALMOST EVERY TIME I go to the lab at
the hospital, it takes an hour to get a blood
test. When I lived in North Van I went to a
private lab and I was always in and out in
five minutes. So sometimes the private is
better.
ANOTHER BOUQUET to the city of
Courtenay for posting costs of a number of
municipal governments on their website
“2014-2018 financial plan.” The Hospital
taxes for Nanaimo ,Duncan, Penticton are
very low. So low, there are no numbers
shown. P2 funding. Comox Valley North
Tax Numbers clearly show that we are paying much more for new P3 hospitals - how
long we will pay - likely forever. Check it
out - fact or fiction? The Courtenay website
needs a fact or fiction page. CSRD taxpayers
need some answers on P3 projects. How
about it Courtenay Council - you picked the
site?
THERE IS SOME CONCERN about P3
projects where the public funds private
profit. So far, there is little concern about
the C4 model for local government, but
CVRD, Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland are
taking huge profits out of the local economy. Just add up the reserve funds for each
government - there is more than enough to
fund future projects. There are some 20,000
residents who can not afford this C4
approach. Next November, vote for change.
BOUQUETS to the city of Courtenay for
displaying the Chart comparing the taxes
and charges in neighbouring communities.
As expected, the C4 model for local government is very expensive. Just add up the
CVRD cost for Courtenay, Comox,
Cumberland and it will be clear that CVRD
cost are much higher that the single government models in the comparison - almost 3

times higher! Four members of Courtenay
council are CVRD directors who approved
the $67 million CVRD budget which lands
on many residents who simply can’t afford
the overhead.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEND a big bouquet
of gratitude to the elderly gentleman who
yelled at the driver bolting out of a parking
spot in the Superstore parking lot. My
daughter was visibly shaken as she didn’t
see the car about to hit her and her newborn baby who was in his car seat carrier.
Her back was turned away as she was
approaching her car. She has no doubt that
she and her baby would have been hit had
you not had the quickness of mind to yell at
the driver who was apparently in too big of
a hurry to watch out for pedestrians. A very
grateful grandma thanks you!
MR. SPARROW NEEDS to clearly communicate the cost saving for North Island
taxpayers who are directly funding 40% of
the new P3 hospitals. How much less will it
cost per taxpayer in comparison to a P2
project - taxpayers and the Province - the
traditional approach. Mr. sparrow seems to
be indicating that the Province is unable to
manage the hospital project and costs. This
project is peanuts compared to the Provincial
budget - should we be worried about this as
well? Let’s see the number to justify the P3,
and benefits to North Island taxpayers.
Some transparency, please.
A BOUQUET to BC Hydro for finding
enough Comox Lake water for the Kayak
festival. It’s great that they will have no
more stage 3 emergencies where Comox
Valley residents are forced to have brown
lawns and go to commercial car washes that
use much more water. The CVRD have a
done great job of encouraging all to use less
water - we have done that. Now BC Hydro
do your part. BC Hydro uses as much water
in one day as Comox Valley customers use
in 3 months. They control the reservoir.

Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014 A11

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EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS to the lady in
Tim Hortons drive-thru around noon
on April 2. She paid for our coffee - we
will definitely pay it forward. So
thoughtful of you!

there are still people like you out there
that do random acts of kindness! And
kudos for teaching your daughter
about that.
We need more people like you and
your daughter in this world. So in
closing, again thank you very much
for your show of kindness.

Beefs

I WOULD LIKE TO SEND OUT
Huge Bouquets of Thanks to all my
wonderful family and friends for giving me the most amazing and somewhat overwhelming 90th birthday celebrations. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t thank you all enough
for making it such a memorable occasion. Your cards, gifts and good wishes are something I will cherish for a
very long time and I can hardly wait
to start testing out each of your recipes. With love, Mom (aka Grama/
Jeanette).

Bouquets

A NICE LONG STRETCH in the
chain gang to those vandals who steal

The Comox Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First and Best Readersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Forum
Email to: echo@comoxvalleyecho.com

&

decorative solar lights from the yards
of citizens who try to beautify our
neighborhood. One of these citizens
is a widow and can ill afford to keep
replacing her lights. The lights were
found in a wooded lot not far fro
where they were taken, smashed and
destroyed. You know who you are,
and you will eventually get your
reward.
A HUGE BOUQUET to Heidi
Sherman at the Driftwood Mall
branch of CIBC for going above &
beyond and to have the in depth
knowledge to put together an
extremely complex credit deal thank you!

I DRIVE A KENWORTH on the
Island Highway 5 days a week.
Truckers can see most everything
thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on in a car that is passing. Every day I see several people
talking and texting on cell phones
while driving. Last Thursday a man
in a Camry passed me northbound
just south of the Tsable river. He held
a document in his left hand between
his index finger and thumb which he
was reading, and the other three
fingers held the steering wheel. On
his right knee balanced his cell
phone which was receiving the
attention of his right hand while
texting. As he passed me he drifted
off to the left towards the median,
and made the abrupt swerve/correction. On the Tsable river bridge he
drifted off to the right towards oblivion, and again made the abrupt correction. He exited at the Courtenay
ramp. The very next day, a 46-yearold distracted driver crossed the center line just east of Cathedral Grove.
She went head on into a couple in
their 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The elderly couple was
airlifted to Victoria. She was airlifted
to Vancouver. If they survive, their
lives will never be the same again.
So to my pal in the Camry, this could
never happen to you could it? This
happens to other people, right?
Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what she and all those people
I see doing this every day thought.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so not worth the gamble. Stop it!
MASSIVE THANKS to Dave from
VI Pest Control. Was round to my
house within an hour of me calling!
Very polite. I will definitely use him
when and if I really do get bedbugs!
APPARENTLY, THE COMOX
VALLEY Regional District has a
Reserve Fund of $97,830, 013. Is this
fact, or accounting fiction? Some
studies show that local governments
need to have at least 10% in reserves,
but not more than 20% - this makes
sense to cover emergencies and new
requirements. This would be about
$7 million minimum, $14 million
maximum. So why are are local
Directors so far off the mark in
approving CVRD budgets that have
144% in reserves, at the expense of
low income residents? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see the
answer in the CVRD Fact or Fiction
website!
MANY BOUQUETS to former
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty - a
Great Canadian, who urged us to live
within our means.

This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
winner

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S VERY DISAPPOINTING that
Courtenay Council approves budgets
that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand. Of
Course they can provide zero
increase in taxes, without reducing
services. They say they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find
savings while they approve another
$3.7 million going into a surplus
fund which already exceeds well
over 20% of the annual budget.
Councillors Ambler, Aglin, Theos,
Winchester, are CVRD directors who
approved a $4 million reduction in
the CVRD budget by applying surpluses (profit) - why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they do
this for Courtenay residents?
BEEF TO ICBC for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;clerical
errorâ&#x20AC;? that cost $100 million. The
president is in charge of the company and something like this should
not have happened. There should
have been safeguards, are there no
checks? The president should be
fired, so there will be accountability
for NOT doing his job. How many
other screw ups are happening at
ICBC? When the president is fired
there should be no compensation.
A BIG BEEF to the Comox Town
Council for voting for changes to our
Official Community Plan bylaws to
facilitate their Vitalization Program
for downtown Comox without public
consultation. Unlimited height for
buildings? Development fee rebates?
Reduced parking? Now is the time to
speak up.
A BIG BOUQUET to all the people
who stopped to help me after I fell
on 5th Ave Friday night and split my
head open. The 2 chaps who with
their T-shirts held my head, the 2
women who called 911, the
Ambulance men and my friends
Gloria, Ken and Mary who waited at
the hospital for me. YOU ARE ALL
MY ANGELS ... I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t thank-you
enough.
I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT a
huge bouquet to Lisa Scheck and
Brooklyn School for their inspirational work that the children undertook for the recent heritage fair. Such
excellent work was created and so
many of the Brooklyn children
efforts were rewarded by being chosen to display their work in Port
Alberni in the regional finals - such
an achievement - well done Brooklyn
- staff and children. Oh, and their
ever encouraging parents!
INTERESTING that the Courtenay
Mayor says the city is not a player in
the dispute between newspapers and
MMBC. Who is? Also interesting that
the landfill minimum fees are going
up 150%, because there is not
enough garbage tonnage going into
the landfill to fund the expensive
overhead. Not the good folks who do
a great job on site, but the good folks
in head office. There are just too
many of these good folks in head
office and somebody has to pay the
salaries and benefits. Local papers
have reported on CVRD salaries and
they are higher than neighboring
municipalities. This is the user pay
model supported by CVRD directors,
who approve all budgets.

This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winner, drawn
at random from submissions
received up to Tuesday, is:

BOUQUETS
OF
HAPPY
LAUGHTER to the City of Courtenay
for replacing the old playground at
Martin Park. Our grandchildren were
delighted to discover their old â&#x20AC;&#x153;not
much funâ&#x20AC;? equipment had been
replaced. We had a tough time getting them to leave.

911 McPhee Ave
Courtenay, BC

www.thermotec.ca

SOME 1,000 RURAL WATER customers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too happy about unfair
water rates, and thousands voted
against CVRD roadside recycling-initiatives supported by Area Directors.
In 2011, our Area Directors were
elected by acclamation, with a mandate to do what they think is right.
The only way to connect Directors
with Electors is to vote, next
November. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope that there are
competing candidates in Areas A, B,
C. It could be 10 years of disconnect,
if the present team is back in by
acclamation.
A HUGE BOUQUET to the lady
and her daughter who when they left
Tim Hortons and drove past my
daughter and I sitting outside my
husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office (Enterprise rent a
car), turned around, came back into
the parking lot and walked over to
us with a box of donuts and offered
one to my daughter and I. Thank
you very much, it was a very nice
gesture and we enjoyed the donuts
very much. It is so nice to see that

HEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HOW IT WORKS!
Our weekly feature, Beefs and Bouquets,
is intended to be a light-hearted forum for
you, our readers, to express brief views on
issues and events in your lives.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not intended to hurt people or make
unsubstantiated and libelous comments.
Names wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be published with the
beefs and bouquets; however, we do need
your full name, mailing address and telephone number for verification purposes.
Each week someone will win a 2 Classic
Cheese Basket Meals from Dairy Queen.
Have fun with this!

Foot Care Service

Formerly Clinical Sleep Solutions

Over
30 years
in the
Comox Valley

SENDING A BEAUTIFUL Spring
Bouquet of flowers to Whitney at
Shoppers Drug Mart, Courtenay. She
was so knowledgeable, and friendly
in helping me find the perfect skin
care product and makeup. Now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m
glowing!

3RZHURI7ZR

p

O

GR

Winners, you may pick up your prize certificates at the front desk
of the Echo, 407-D Fifth Street, during regular business hours.
Thanks to everyone for the great submissions- keep â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em coming!

WOULD LIKE TO HAND OUT a
bouquet of skunk cabbage to the
company responsible for the approval of tenants that occupy the Crown
Isle Plaza. I was led to believe that
this â&#x20AC;&#x153;new lookâ&#x20AC;? plaza was to reflect
beautiful Crown Isle. Bring in new
and unique local wares. Well as far
as I can tell it neither looks nor feels
special. Now a nasty rumor of yet
another fast food McDonalds with
the un-needed nor wanted oil change
facility, and to add insult to injury ...
get ready ... a Dollar Store! What is
happening to this community? I
guess it will always be the same. I
foresee the death of 5th street as
there are already empty stores that
are an eyesore along with an empty
weed lot that used to be the movie
theatre. Crown Isle Plaza will
become like every other sad little
strip mall. If it werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for the now
â&#x20AC;&#x153;environmentally friendlyâ&#x20AC;? drycleaners and the eye pleasing Thriftyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it
wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be worth stopping in. If I
were a resident of Crown Isle and the
surrounding community, I would be
up in arms. When will the people get
a say in whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on and how
can we â&#x20AC;&#x153;shop localâ&#x20AC;? if the rents are
so high that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand a
chance. We need diversity and
change ... thank goodness for the
farmers market and Sieffertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farm
and the few remaining local stores
that can still afford ever raised rents.
At least you know it stays in the
community.

Based on a purchase price of $17,502. Includes Variable Throwback Pricing Incentive. $76 bi-weekly payments include $640 Throwback Pricing
Incentive. Payments are based on 2014 Forte LX MT (FO541E), financing for 84 months. After 15 months, bi-weekly payments increase to
$96. Throwback Pricing Incentive may be taken as a lump sum or to reduce the financed amount.&

Forte SX shownU

HEATED
FRONT SEATS

5.3L/8.0L

THE ALL-NEW 2014

WINDSHIELD
WIPER DE-ICER

STEERING WHEEL
AUDIO CONTROLS

hwy / city 100kmÓ

THE ALL-NEW 2014

$
WAS

124

6.0L/8.9L

THROWBACK
PRICING

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& $0 DOWN.

104

BI-WEEKLY
for the first
15 MONTHS.

6-SPEED MANUAL

%&

0

financing

Based on a purchase price of $22,602. Includes Variable Throwback Pricing Incentive. $104 bi-weekly payments include $640 Throwback
Pricing Incentive. Payments are based on 2014 Forte Koup EX MT (FO521E), financing for 84 months. After 15 months, bi-weekly payments
increase to $124. Throwback Pricing Incentive may be taken as a lump sum or to reduce the financed amount.&
Forte Koup SX Luxury shownU

hwy / city 100kmÓ
HEATED
FRONT SEATS

SATELLITE
RADIO1

BLUETOOTHº

THE ALL-NEW 2014

$
WAS

116

5.8L/8.5L

$

& $0 DOWN.

96

THROWBACK
PRICING

BI-WEEKLY
for the first
15 MONTHS.

6-SPEED MANUAL

%&

0

financing

Based on a purchase price of $21,102. Includes Variable Throwback Pricing Incentive. $96 bi-weekly payments include $640 Throwback Pricing
Incentive. Payments are based on 2014 Forte5 LX+ MT (FO551E), financing for 84 months. After 15 months, bi-weekly payments increase to
$116. Throwback Pricing Incentive may be taken as a lump sum or to reduce the financed amount.&

Forte5 EX shownU

hwy / city 100kmÓ

THE NEW 2014

$
WAS

145

5.7L/8.9L

THROWBACK
PRICING

$

& $0 DOWN.

105

BI-WEEKLY
for the first
15 MONTHS.

6-SPEED AUTOMATIC

%&

0

financing

Based on a purchase price of $26,302. Includes Variable Throwback Pricing Incentive. $105 bi-weekly payments include $1,280 Throwback
Pricing Incentive. Payments are based on 2014 Optima LX AT (OP742E), financing for 84 months. After 15 months, bi-weekly payments
increase to $145. Throwback Pricing Incentive may be taken as a lump sum or to reduce financed amount.&
Optima SX Turbo AT shownU

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warranty.

Graham Kia Victoria

Kia West

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(250) 360-1111

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16299 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC
(604) 635-3010

Courtenay Kia

Richmond Kia

Harris Kia

Applewood Langley Kia

1025B Comox Road, Courtenay, BC
(250) 334-9993

3351 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC
(604) 273-1800

2575 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC
(250) 751-1168

19764 Langley By-Pass, Langley, BC
(604) 533-7881

Offer(s) available on select new 2014 models through participating dealers to qualiﬁed customers who take delivery by April 30, 2014. Dealers may sell or lease for less. Some conditions apply. See dealer for complete details. All offers are subject to change without notice. Vehicles shown may include optional accessories and upgrades available at extra cost. All pricing includes
delivery and destination fees up to $1,665, other fees and certain levies (including tire levies) and $100 A/C charge (where applicable) and excludes licensing, registration, insurance, other taxes and variable dealer administration fees (up to $699). Other dealer charges may be required at the time of purchase. Other lease and ﬁnancing options also available. &Throwback Pricing
available O.A.C. on ﬁnancing offers on new 2014 models. Financing for 84 months example: 2014 Optima LX AT (OP742E)/2014 Forte LX MT (FO541E)/2014 Forte Koup EX MT (FO521E)/2014 Forte5 LX+ MT (F0551E) with a purchase price of $26,302/$17,502/$22,602/$21,102 (including $1,485 freight/PDI) ﬁnanced at 0% for 84-month period with $0 down payment equals 32 reduced
bi-weekly payments of $105/$76/$104/$96 followed by 150 bi-weekly payments of $145/$96/$124/$116. Cost of borrowing is $0 and total obligation is $26,302/$17,502/$22,602/$21,102. Throwback Pricing Incentive varies by model and trim level and may be taken as a lump sum or to reduce the ﬁnanced amount. The Throwback Pricing Incentive for the 2014 Optima LX AT/2014 Forte
LX MT/2014 Forte Koup EX MT/2014 Forte5 LX+ MT shown is $1,280/$640/$640/$640 (a $40/$20/$20/$20 reduction in 32 bi-weekly payments). Limited time offer. See retailer for complete details. Throwback Pricing is a trademark of Kia Canada Inc. 0% purchase ﬁnancing is available on select new 2014 Kia models O.A.C. Terms vary by model and trim, see dealer for complete details.
6
Model shown Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for 2014 Forte SX (FO748E)/2014 Optima SX Turbo AT (OP748E)/2014 Forte Koup LX Luxury AT (FO726E)/2014 Forte5 EX AT (FO754E) is $26,395/$34,795/$28,295/$22,295. ÇHighway/city fuel consumption is based on the 2014 Forte 1.8L MPI 4-cyl (M/T)/2014 Optima 2.4L GDI (A/T)/2014 Forte Koup 2.0L (A/T)/2014 Forte5 2.0L (M/T). These
updated estimates are based on the Government of Canada’s approved criteria and testing methods. Refer to the EnerGuide Fuel Consumption Guide. Your actual fuel consumption will vary based on driving habits and other factors. 1Sirius, XM and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its subsidiaries. °The Bluetooth® wordmark and logo are registered
trademarks and are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. 2014 Top Safety Pick – U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for model year 2014. U.S. model tested. Information in this advertisement is believed to be accurate at the time of printing. For more information on our 5-year warranty coverage, visit kia.ca or call us at 1-877-542-2886. Kia is a trademark of Kia Motors Corporation.

Extra
ECHO

Comox Valley, BC

The COMOX VALLEY ECHO ❑ Friday, April 18, 2014

etc.
ECHO

Learn how to invest in
your local community

Transition Town Comox Valley joins
with the Comox Valley Community
Social Planning Council to welcome
Rupert Downing, Executive Director of
the Community Social Planning Council
of Greater Victoria to give an inspiring
presentation on community investment.
Learn how you can keep your RRSP
and investment dollars at work in your
community. Please join us on
Wednesday April 30th at The Zocalo
from 5:30 -7pm.
Plan to arrive early, the presentation
starts at 6 pm.
For more information www.communitycouncil.ca

Glacier View Lodge
fund-raising at Chances
Glacier View Lodge is hosting a fundraising event at Chances in Courtenay
on April 30th.
Community members are invited to
attend! Tickets are $25 and available
from the Lodge Reception office. For
more information visit our website at
www.glacierviewlodge.ca or call us at
250 338 1451.
The Evening at Chances is in support
of the addition of a dedicated space for
the Adult Day Program at the Lodge.
The Adult Day Program is attended by
12 - 14 seniors each weekday.
The clients take part in social and
cognitively stimulating programs that
helps reduce the decline of memory and
cognitive functioning. Over the past
three years, the waitlist for the program
has grown to a 7 month waiting time.

Maritime radio VHF/DSC
course starting May 6
Cape Lazo Power and Sail Squadron’s
Restricted Operators Certificate (Marine)
course will run Tuesday evenings from
May 6 to May 27, 2014 at Mark Isfeld
Secondary School.
Classes start at 7 pm. The ROC(M) is
required by anyone using a marine
radio.
All new VHF radios are now equipped
with the Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
function.
If you received your ROC(M) card
before the DSC function was available,
you are encouraged to return and get
the DSC endorsement for your ROC(M)
card.
For more information contact Charles
at 250-334-0225 or register on line
atwww.capelazo.ca.

Vegan dine-out going to
Osaka Sushi this month
This coming Tuesday, April 22nd at
5:30 and 7:00, Osaka Sushi Restaurant
at #6-450 Ryan Rd in Courtenay, will
host this month’s Earthsave Vegan Dine
Out.
Owners Grace and Andrew have put
together the following full service
menu: Miso Soup, Vegetarian Bento Box
with Tofu Teriyaki, Vegetable Tempura,
Agedashi Tofu, Rice and Salad. Green
Tea.
The price for the dinner including
taxes and tips is $20.
The evening is by reservation only to
reserve call Bob at Earthsave ph. 250338-0751.

Harold Macy, Alison Orr and her father Brad Orr, excited to see the 99-year-old building go back to the community of Merville.

‘Stolen Church’ spirited to new home
New owners donate 99-year-old historical church and manse to community
By Michael Briones
Echo Staff
The “Stolen Church” in Merville
has been spirited back to the community, but this time with the blessing
of the owners.
The former St. Mary’s Church that
was originally built near the present
Tsolum school in 1915 by a group of
Grantham farmers for $200 was loaded onto a heavy-duty transporter and
at press time was set to be moved
adjacent to the Merville community
centre, also known as the “Big Yellow
Hall.”
It was an exciting event for the
community because the small church
is 99-years-old and will be a significant addition to Merville’s heritage
and also an added tourist attraction.
When the Soldier Settlement
Project was established in Merville in
1919 there was a need for a church to
serve the many veterans and their
families.
A group of Merville farmers and
World War One veterans decided to
take the Anglican church building
and move it from its Grantham location to Merville.
They did it inconspicuously in the
dark of night, skidding it up a gravel
highway with a clee tractor.
Since then it had provided sanctuary for a small congregation until
2003 when it was de-consecrated and
sold.
(Continued on page B2) The manse, which was the parish hall, has been moved adjacent to the big Yellow Hall.

B2 Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014

Community

Earth Week festivities
expand under new Coordinator
Lois Gibbs taking on the US government over contamination in Love Canal in a scene from the film, A Fierce
Green Fire

World Community screens
Earth Day film on Tuesday
Celebrate Earth Day, Tuesday April 22 with
a World Community film screening at 7:30 pm
in the Upper Florence Filberg Centre.
A FIERCE GREEN FIRE: The Battle For a
Living Planet is the first big-picture exploration
of the environmental movement.
This Sundance Film Festival pick shows
grassroots and global activism spanning fifty
years from conservation to climate change.
From halting dams in the Grand Canyon to
battling 20,000 tons of toxic waste at Love
Canal; from Greenpeace saving the whales to
Chico Mendes and the rubber tappers working
to save the Amazon; from climate change to
the promise of transforming our civilization...
the film tells vivid stories about people fighting - and succeeding - against enormous odds.
The film is divided into five “acts”.
Act 1, narrated by Robert Redford, focuses
on the conservation movement of the `60s,
David Brower and the Sierra Club’s battle to
halt dams in the Grand Canyon.
Act 2, narrated by Ashley Judd, looks at the

new environmental movement of the `70s with
its emphasis on pollution, focusing on the battle led by Lois Gibbs over Love Canal. Realizing
that their families were at enormous risks for
health problems due to the pollution, ordinary
women took extraordinary actions to get the
federal government’s attention.
Act 3 is about alternative ecology strands
and the main story is Greenpeace’s campaign
to save the whales. It is narrated by Van Jones.
Act 4, narrated by Isabel Allende, explores
global resource issues and crises of the `80s,
focusing on the struggle to save the Amazon
led by Chico Mendes and the rubber tappers.
As we read the latest warnings about our
changing climate, Act 5 of A Fierce Green Fire
gives a context to these issues. Meryl Streep is
the narrator for this section of the film.
This event is the kickoff to a series of events
celebrating Earth Week in the Comox Valley.
Admission is by donation.
Everyone is welcome. For more information:
250 337-5412

New home for ‘stolen church’
(Continued from page B1)
Harold Macy, who is involved in the restoration project, said from then on it has been
called “The Stolen Church.”
About a year ago the old church and manse
located on a property on Highway 19A about
a mile and a half from the Merville hall went
up for sale. Brad and Alison Orr from Alberta
bought the property.
“We didn’t know what we were going to do
with the buildings,” said Brad. “Our realtor
Randy Devine mentioned to us there was
somebody interested and that was Craig
Freeman.”
The Orrs got hold of Freeman, who is secretary/treasurer of the Merville Community
Association. Upon learning the deep significance of the two buildings to the community,
the Orrs did not hesitate and generously sold
them for a dollar.
“We got pretty excited about the fact that
we could contribute and potentially donate it
to them,” said Brad.
“These buildings have great amount of historical value to Merville and it would have
been a shame if they were demolished, burnt
or destroyed,” said Macy.
Freeman suggested the buildings be moved
near the hall and get them rebuilt and reno-

vated.
“Once fixed up, these buildings will be
available for smaller functions than the big
Hall,” said Freeman. “The church has a
stained glass window and high ceilings, making it perfect for an intimate wedding.”
The small church is turning 100 years old
next year and the Merville group has formed
a committee to lead the restoration project.
Transporting the old church to the hall did
encounter some problems and was delayed a
day. But once the move is complete, the committee has 60 days to build a foundation and
lower the buildings. Then the work starts to
bring back the old building to life.
“We will be doing quite a bit of renovation,” said Macy. “It’s going to be a good project for the community and we need to do it
collectively. We will need help from the community in terms of labour, skilled trades and
of course money.”
When the church was disbanded, several of
the pews and other furnishings were distributed to the congregation.
“We have had offers to return the pews and
other items once the church is done,” said
Macy.
For more information and to make donations call Harold Macy at 250-337-5332 or
email hqcreek@telus.net.

TV SCENE
Now available

Your number on
e gu

ide to Vancouv

every Friday at
the following
locations:
• Thrifty’s

er Island televi

TVScene
April 18 - 24,

sion

2014

England Ave. & Ryan Rd

•

Rexall

Comox Mall

•

Rexall

Courtenay

•

Down to
a science
e 18

Fox is currently
airing a series
follo
1980 Emmy Awa
rd-winning serie w-up that definitely warrants
miered March
its second time
9, with a new episos “Cosmos: A Personal Voya
in the sun. “Cos
ge,”
de airing Sund
ay, April 20, on which was presented by astro mos: A Spacetime Odyssey” is
Fox.
nomer, astrophys
a scien
icist and cosmolog tific documentary
ist Carl Sagan.
Grand Forks Breakfast
The ne

Since the birth of the modern environmental
movement started in 1970, communities all over
the world have come together to celebrate Earth
Day. This year, more than one billion people in
over 180 countries will showcase the collective
power of individuals taking action to celebrate
and care for our life supporting planet.
In the Comox Valley, Earth Week 2014 will
stretch from the usual one day/one place event
to a wide range of events and activities over five
days in numerous locations.
With the support of its enthusiastic new coordinator, Annie Andrews, Earth Week 2014 is
blooming faster than the Spring crocuses eagerly popping up all over the Comox Valley.
Earth Week 2014 Comox Valley will include
cycling tours, nature walks, wildlife education,
art displays, films, workshops, environmental
discussions and much more, throughout numerous indoor and outdoor venues in the Comox
Valley!
People of all ages will have an opportunity to
learn more about caring for, and enjoying our
life-sustaining Earth and its ecosystems.
A Community Earth Festival will be held on
April 26 at Lake Trail School with cycling and
gardening demonstrations, kids’ activities, local
food booths, music, nature education by local
groups and businesses and more. The day’s
activities are water proof as the booths and
events can move indoors in case of rain.
Earth Week will kick off to an enthusiastic
start April 22 with World Community’s 7:30
screening at Upper Filberg Hall of A Fierce
Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet in
which filmmaker Mark Kitchell captures the
sweeping history of the environmental movement as both a cautionary tale and a celebration
of citizens coming together.
Saturday’s culminating Earth Festival at Lake
Trail School will conclude the week at 4:30 pm
in the Lake Trail Theatre with a visionary presentation, Imagining a Green Sustainable
Comox Valley, by Guy Dauncey, environmental
author and Communications Director of the BC
Sustainable Energy Association.
Dauncey will lead a discussion on creating
and implementing a community vision that
includes our well-being, a healthy planet and a
sustaining world for our children (and their
children).
Between Earth Day and Earth Festival there
will be many other opportunities to participate
in Earth Week with events like the Wednesday’s
Wacky Wheely bike rodeo for kids, MARS Walk
for Wildlife, Project Watershed’s Estuary Ride
and the Keep It Living Art show at Comox

Valley Art Gallery.
Residents are encouraged to make their own
celebrations as well, by going for a family walk,
organizing a neighbourhood clean-up, planting
a garden or taking actions to reduce waste and
live more sustainably.
Earth Week Coordinator, Annie Andrews regularly updates the Earth Week calendar on the
Transition Town Comox Valley website http://
transitiontowncv.org/earthday, for anyone
wanting to keep up with the full roster of
events.
The website includes Earth Week events, and
links to register an event in the Earth Week
program guide, have an information/ vending
booth, or learn about ads and sponsorship
opportunities.
The great news is there is still room for organizations, people, businesses and governments
to get involved with booths, events, workshops.
Can we come together to create a better, more
sustainable world? Could the Comox Valley be a
leader in new ideas on energy conservation,
affordable homes and neighbourhoods, sustainable food and farming? Can we create an economy that puts the well-being of people and
environment first? Could we have a transportation system that gets us where we want to go
without paving paradise and generate the energy we need without fracking our future? Yes, we
can! See you there, Earth Week 2014 Comox
Valley.
For more information visit the Transition
Town website, click onto facebook.com/
CVEarthDay, call 250-331-9088 or 250-3380155.

Enjoy Easter
weekend at
the Filberg
Park
The Filberg Lodge and Park are
hippy, hoppy, happy to be hosting
the 2nd annual Easter weekend
Bunny Trail event April 19 and 20.
Last year this same free family-event was a resounding success
with over 4000 people (big and
small) searching for ceramic bunnies on our Easter trail throughout
the Filberg Park.
Everyone is welcome to come to
the Filberg Park between the hours
of 11 AM and 3 PM on Saturday,
April 19 and Sunday, April 20.
There is no starting time so come
when you can between 11 and 3
PM, take your time, bring a picnic
and enjoy the park and Filberg
Lodge. Pick up your Bunny trail
map at the Lodge and start searching.
The bunny trail ends at the Tea
house where you will hand in your
map with all the bunnies marked
and receive a small treat in
exchange.
Comox Recreation is partnering
with us to provide fun crafts for all
ages at the Tea house.
Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park
Association is a for-purpose charitable organization responsible for the
care, maintenance, and management of the Lodge and Filberg Park.
Family-centered events are a wonderful way to introduce the next
generation to this amazing place.
For more information visit www.
filberg.com or visit our facebook
page ‘FHLPA’.

COOKBOOK FUNDS
HELP YOUTH TRAVEL
TO CONFERENCE

Youth Project participants are excited about upcoming conference and are busy selling cookbooks to fund the trip

Phil Reimer, media celebrity, shares his
‘Ports & Bows’ cruising trade secrets
CruisePlus Presents: Phil Reimer,
former radio and TV celebrity who
will take you on a ‘Phil Reimer’s
Ports & Bows Island Tour’ as he visits Vancouver Island and showcases
the best tips and strategies you need
to know about sea and river cruising.
Learn about Northern Europe, the
Panama Canal and the popularity of
River Cruising as Phil takes you on a
highly informative, visual journey
sharing his 10-cruises-a-year knowledge.
Phil Reimer is a well-known
media personality with a long history of working in radio and television
as a reporter, producer and for over
22 years as part of the 6:00 p.m.
news team on CBC TV.

Phil Reimer
He has worked for CKNW with
Frosty Forst, the number one morning show in Canada for over two

CVN hosts forum on the public interest
in ALR, public forests and public parks
Recent legislative changes to the
ALR, the Forest Act and the BC Parks
Act constitute a radical change in the
conservation framework of British
Columbia. The boundaries of green
spaces, and public access to them,
are being opened to short-term private industrial interests with broad
management rights. Management of
these areas and the public’s stake in
them, and access to them, are being
redefined, without public consultation.
Comox Valley Nature has for over
48 years carried out a broad variety
of long-term citizen science and restoration projects monitoring bird and
plant population trends throughout
the valley. These data and the trends
they represent have helped a number
of agencies and non-governmental
organizations provide a picture of

the environmental health of the
Comox Valley. This work has also
contributed to the preservation of
green spaces and “protected areas”
which are critical to the high quality
of life enjoyed by residents, and
which form the economic basis of
the Comox Valley’s tourism and agricultural economies.
This important work has only
been made possible by unfettered
access to public Crown lands and by
co-operative agreements with landowners and various ministries. It is
therefore extremely important that
the public understand what these
legislative changes will mean for the
long-term conservation and maintenance of the high quality economic
and ecological environment, which
we currently enjoy.
Comox Valley Nature will be host-

Take a walk with the Young Naturalists
Join us for a walk in Mack Laing Park on Sunday, April 27th in Comox with the
Young Naturalist Club. New families are very welcome. This event is FREE. For more
information please email ynccomox@gmail.com.

ing an open public forum with representatives from various key local
environmental
associations
(Strathcona Wilderness Institute,
Friends of Strathcona Park, Comox
Valley
Conservation
Strategy,
Heathens,
Comox
District
Mountaineering Club and Tsolum
River Restoration Society), to discuss
conservation implications and possible ways to react or adapt to the legislation.
This public workshop will be held
this Easter Sunday April 20 at 7pm at
the Florence Filberg Seniors Centre,
411 Anderton, Courtenay.
Comox Valley Nature is a non-profit society affiliated to BC Nature
consisting only of unpaid volunteers.
CVN fulfills its educational mandate
by hosting monthly lectures, organizing free weekly guided hikes for
members, and a free monthly walk
open to the public. The society also
undertakes a variety of environmental projects.
Aside from its main activity as a
non-profit, Comox Valley Nature also
supports specialized groups (
Birding,
Botany,
Garry
Oak
Restoration, Wetland Restoration,
Photography and Young Naturalists
Club) all of which have separate
monthly activities. Membership in
BC Nature and Comox Valley Nature
is $30 per adult and $40 for a family.
Comox Valley Nature will also be
offering two free public walks for
Earth Week at Mack Laing Park.
Tuesday, April 22
EARTH DAY
10:00am Public “Mack Heritage
Laing Walk” Start at Filberg Lodge
in Comox, via “Baybrook and
Shakeside” and SUNDAY, April 27th,
(“Mack Heritage Laing Walk” with
The Young Naturalists Club. Start at
Croteau Road Entrance to Mack
Laing Park in Comox, via “Shakesides
and Baybrook”. Both walks will be
lead by Dr. Loys Maingon (RPBio)
and are expected to take about 2 hrs.
Founded in 1966, it is one of the
oldest environmental societies on the
North Island. Meetings and lectures
of the Comox Valley Naturalists
Society are held on the third Sunday
of most months at the Florence
Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton,
Courtenay.
Meetings and guided walks are
open to the public, including children and youth. Lecture is free,
though a donation from non-members is always appreciated. New
memberships are always welcomed.
Anyone interested in this lecture or
participating in CVNS activities can
also contact us at the website http://
comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/
or
Loys Maingon (CVN President) at
250-331-0143.

Exciting Events coming to

decades, The Vancouver Sun, CBC
News Network and many more
media outlets.
He is sure to delight and inform
you with his extensive background
in cruising. Currently, he writes for
Ports & Bows, a highly popular cruising column carried in newspapers
across Canada and he can be found
at: www.portsandbows.com.
Phil will be showcasing his Ports
and Bows Vancouver Island Tour for
three days which begins in Victoria,
B.C. and ends in Campbell River.
The local schedule is as follows:
· Thurs. April 24th - Anchor Inn
& Suites - from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00
p.m.
· Thurs. April 24th - Crown Isle
Golf Course - from 7:00 p.m. to
8:30p.m.
This exciting island tour is also a
‘Meet and Greet’ - a chance to speak
with Phil after he showcases three
key places to consider when planning a cruise.
Dave Frinton, owner of CruisePlus,
will complement Phil and offer the
best strategies to make the most out
of cruising.
Everyone welcome.
Adission $10. CruisePlus clients
are welcome as our guests at no
charge.
Space limited so reserve tickets
now and receive a travel credit. Call
Judy or Lisa at 1-800-854-9664.

The Comox Valley Youth Project
supports young adults with special
needs during life’s transitions, promoting their independence and inclusion in the community. One of the
highlights of their year is attending
the annual Inclusion BC Conference,
which this year will be held June
11-14 in Nanaimo.
The conference is an exciting opportunity for these young adults with
developmental disabilities to attend
workshops on topics such as self
advocacy, employment, and wellness.
In addition, they will be presenting
their own workshop about facing fears
and challenges during the transition
out of high school and into the ‘real
world’.
Youth Project participants are raising funds for conference travel costs
from cook book sales.
Throughout the year the Youth
Project kitchen is a hive of activity as
participants combine life skills and
business lessons to prepare delicious
meals and treats for staff and visitors
at the Child Development Association.
The Youth Project has compiled
some of their favourite recipes into a
cookbook which is now available for
purchase for $10 at the Comox Valley
Child Development Association, 237
3rd Street, Courtenay and at Games
and Grounds Coffee House, 239
Puntledge Rd, Courtenay.
Recipes are based on affordable and
healthy ingredients. All proceeds
raised will go toward registration and
travel costs for the conference in June.
For more information about the
Comox Valley Youth Project, visit their
Facebook page at www.facebook.
com/cvtyp, or view their award winning video about inclusion, produced
by Zac Whyte at www.cvcda.ca.
For information about the Inclusion
BC Conference, visit www.inclusionbc.org/conference-2014.
The
Comox
Valley
Child
Development Association (CVCDA)
provides services for children, youth
and youth adults with developmental
delays and disabilities including physical, cognitive, communication,
social/emotional and behavioural
needs. Family-centred services include
assessments, individualized supports
and intervention. For more information visit the CVCDA website at www.
cvcda.ca or call 250-338-4288.

A bright patio home that shows well
with new paint and carpet. Two
bedrooms with an ensuite in the
master and a large storage/laundry
room. Open living room with vaulted
ceilings. Comes with a garage and
another parking space at the front.

Rancher in Royston
4354 Briardale Road

PRICE REDUCTION

Large 0.21 acre property close to
beaches. This Rancher comes
complete with 3 bedrooms, 2
bathrooms, a sunken living room and
large deck. Private large yard is fenced.

unit has been painted and is
ready for you to move in. Two
bedroom condo located centrally
-great floor plan.
mls 357998

111,900

10% down -apprvox. $547/mo. 25 yrs 5yr term

2158 Downey Ave

1826 Hawk Drive

This sparkling family home located in the
centre of Comox is one of the few homes
in this price range with an ocean view.
Featuring a large lot with 2 gas fireplaces
and an ocean view overlooking Comox
Bay. Close to schools, the hospital and
bus routes, this is a fine family home.

Looking for a three bedroom two
bathroom elegant rancher in a central
East Courtenay location? This could be
the one. Master bedroom has walk-in
closet with a three piece ensuite. Walk
out to your private deck and fully fenced
backyard. Added pluses are newer heat
pump, hot water tank, roof in 2009,
double garage and a new front door.

PLEASE VISIT US INSTORE TO BOOK YOUR RIDING TIME – SLOTS FILL QUICKLY!

B4 Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014

Sports and Recreation

Junior
tennis
lessons
starting
The Comox Valley Tennis Club is
once again offering junior tennis
lessons.
Brenda Dean will be coaching the
juniors, as she has done for several
years.
Lessons will be held at the
Anderton Courts in Comox.
There are two seperate groups:
- children ages 10-17 on Mondays
4-530 starting April 28-May 26 (or
june 2 kept for back up day if it
rains)
- Children ages 7-9 on Wednesdays
2-330 on early dismissal days or
330-5 starting April 30-May 28 ( or
June 4 kept back up day if it rains)
The price of this is only $35.
Please register your child ASAP as
spaces are filling up quickly.
Go towww.cvtennis.com/cvtc to
register.
If you have any questions, please
either phone Peter at 250 337 5793,
or email at slimhag@gmail.com.

WE’RE THE TENNIS FRIENDLY COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR
Tennis Canada announced Thursday the recipients of the 2013 Building Tennis
Communities (BTC) Excellence Awards. These awards recognize communities, individuals, and partners who have exhibited excellence and dedication in working to
grow the game of tennis and develop the sport into an important facet of a healthy
community. BTCs are located in towns and cities across the country and have played
a valuable role in promoting the game of tennis through the development of partnerships with local leaders and associations.
Comox Valley, led by BTC champion Brenda Dean, is being recognized as the Tennis
Friendly Community of the Year. A true leader and promoter of tennis in Comox

Valley, Dean has a unique ability to connect people and get them involved in the
community. She spends a great deal of her time building relationships with key
stakeholders, and her tireless efforts are paying off as tennis in the community is
growing as is the number of partners and supporters. Well-connected with the
school district, city, tennis club, and recreation centre, she has also developed a
great partnership with the Canadian Diabetes Association by promoting the organization at her events, which in turns increases awareness of diabetes and how tennis
can be part of a healthy lifestyle.
Above, Brenda Dean with some local young tennis players.

Comox Legion
Memorial Darts
on April 26

Local chiropractor
wins Island Race Series

Comox Legion’s “8th
Annual Memorial Darts
Tournament” is set for
April 26.
Teams of 4 can be
Male, Female or Coed.
Entry fee is $40.00 per
team, restricted to 20
teams.
Deadline is Friday the
25th; you can reserve a
spot by calling either of
250-339-2112 or 250339-9592 or by e-mail at
dcwillington@gmail.
com
Check in up by 9.45,
toe line is 10 am, lunch
will be available.
Smitty’s Comox is
offering 10% of their
breakfast menu to participants in the
Memorial Shoot.

The 33rd annual Vancouver Island
Race Series came to a close this past
weekend with the Sooke River 10km
road race.
It was a beautiful sunny finish for the
360 participants and successful day for
the Comox Valley Road Runners.
Crossing the line first with a time of
33:13, Derek Vinge took home the race
gold medal and secured his title as the
overall 2014 Male Champion.
Vinge has won the last three consecutive races; including the Comox Valley
Half Marathon (1:11:59) and Merville
15km race (50:09), to edge out fierce
competition
from
Nick
Walker
(Frontrunners Victoria).
“I have been working hard over the
winter to stay in good shape and hoped
to improve on my last years’ performance” stated Vinge.
“I guess I just peaked at the right
time.”
He credited much of his success to

Derek Vinge is the Island Series overall winner

the support of the Comox Valley Road
Runners and extra motivation from his
training partner, Vince Brotherston, who
also won the title of 2014 Male Masters
Champion in the series.
In the female division Claire Morgan
(Prairie Inn Harriers, Victoria) took the
Women’s title, and Cheryl Davies
(Bastion Running Club, Nanaimo) won
the Female Masters’ trophy.
Now that the series is over, Vinge
plans on switching his training focus to
triathlon and the Xterra series.
He works with athletes of all abilities
as a chiropractor at Fit Chiropractic.
“Regardless of the sport or skill level,
we all have challenges and goals. I try to
use my passion and experiences as an
athlete to help people reach these goals.”
Vinge also instructs a free abdominal
training class at the Lewis Center on
Tuesday and Thursdays from 1:151:45pm. All skills levels are welcome.

Get in shape with Active Comox Valley’s Lending Library
By Dawn Stevens
Active Comox Valley Coordinator
Are you looking to try an exercise
program but not sure where to start?
Now you can jumpstart your activity level for free with Active Comox
Valley’s new lending library for all
ages.
As part of ACV’s mandate to help
provide free and low-cost activities to
residents of the Comox Valley, a lending library has been set up with a
choice of fitness bins of equipment to
help incorporate activity into your
day, either on your own or with
friends and family.
It can be as easy as playing a pickup game of soccer in the park with

the kids, or strapping on some hand
weights while going for a walk with
a friend.
For those looking for a more traditional workout, strength and resistance equipment is also available,
along with instructional DVDs and
handouts to ensure proper technique
and form.
The new media wave of exercising
is also a great way to work up a sweat
- ACV has two WiiSports consoles
available for loan, including a WiiFit
balance board.
It’s the perfect way for a family or
large group to have fun, while getting
fit at the same time.
Challenge yourself and your opponents to an energizing game of ten-

nis, golf, bowling, and even boxing!
Or shake it up on the dance floor
by learning the latest moves to popular tunes with Wii’s Dance Revolution
- moving your body has never been
this much fun!
If you’ve been wanting to try
Nordic walking, now is the time to
try out some trekking poles - the
new Nordic Walking bin includes two
pairs of telescopic poles that can be
sized to your liking, along with a
pedometer to track your steps. Buddy
up with a friend and be prepared to
get your heart rate going.
The lending library also has snowshoes. If you have ever wanted to try
snowshoeing here is your chance.
The lending library is free, howev-

er a credit card deposit is required in
case of damaged or lost items - $25
for the exercise bins and $75 for the
Wii Sports.
Items may be borrowed for a twoweek period by calling the Comox
Valley Sports Centre at (250) 3349622, extension 233, between 9 a.m.
and 3 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Ask for the Family Picnic Bin
(adult and child sized baseball gloves
and baseballs, football, Frisbee, playground ball, and soccer ball), the
Workout Bin (resistance tubing,
weighted resistance ball, weights,
jump rope, Total Body Toner DVD,
and pedometer), the Nordic Walking
Bin (two pairs of Nordic trekking

poles, two pedometers) or the Older
Adult Bin (pedometer, light walking
weights, and power walking and
resistance exercises DVDs), the
Snowshoe Bin (2 adult pairs and 2
children’s pairs) or the Wii consoles
and Just Dance Revolution (included
is Wii play and Wii sport and Dance
revolution game).
Give it a try, your body will thank
you!
The Active Comox Valley initiative
began in September 2005, and is
aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles
and invigorating community spirit
through physical activity.
For more information, visit www.
activecomoxvalley.ca or call (250)
890-9116.

Painter’s Lodge will be open soon and ready
for another exciting year of events, hospitality
and adventure.
First up is Photographers At Painter’s. If you
love photography, this weekend is for you.
Learn from some of BC’s best photographers
about how they shoot, what they see, and
what makes a shot special.

We were treated once again to
another beautiful day of golf with no
rain.
One of the highlights of our day is
getting together after golf for coffee
and soon we will be able to enjoy
sitting outside on the lovely patio
with its spectacular view of snow
capped mountains and luscious green
fairways that Crown Isle has to offer.
The ladies club would like to welcome another new member, Eileen
Wallis; so happy to have your smiling
face amongst us Eileen.
The game today was â&#x20AC;&#x153;three clubs
and a putterâ&#x20AC;? which a lot of us decided thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably all the clubs we
really need to carry in our bags anyway!
The winners are: 1st low gross:
Katy Macaulay 84; 2nd low gross:
Judy Pouliot tied with Shiela Van
Gisbergen 91
1st low net Peggy Quinney 68;
2nd low net: Liz Ellis tied with Janet
Phillips 74
KPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - Anne Sands #12, Judy
Pouliot #4
Birdies: Pat Chalmers #7,
Anne
Sands #12,
Audrey Clark #7,
Peggy Quinney #12
Par 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s:
Brenda Barrigan
#1, Peggy
Quinney #1
The Crown Isle ladies Executive
under the dedicated leadership of
Katy Macaulay held their first meeting of 2014 today. We have an exciting eventful year coming up with a
committed group of fun loving ladies
making it all happen.
Please check the Crown Isle Ladies
website for all the upcoming events.
- Submitted by Audrey Clark

MEET AND GREET
On Saturday, April 12, the Comox
Golf Club held its annual Meet and
Greet 9-hole scramble tournament.
It was a beautiful day and 51 golfers turned out for this fun event.
The purpose of the Meet and Greet
is to get to know our new members as
well as to renew old acquaintances.
Ten new members were introduced
along with our new General Manager,
Keith Gibson.
Following golf, members were
treated once again to a delicious meal
prepared by the Tee Box Restaurant.
Results for the day:
Team Low Gross
1. Tracy and Kathy Branch and Don
and Karen Vanetta
2. Rick and Marg Siddall and John
Delaney and Brian Hegg
Team KPs
Hole 5 - Ken and Joan Loga and Pat
Schmidt and Bob Isaac
Hole 9 - Tom and Pat Ailles and
Gord Smith and Vicki Edwards
Team Longest Putt
Pat and Nancy Riva and Doris Ellis
and Stan Potter
- Submitted by the Comox Golf Club

COMOX
LADIES
On
Tuesday,
April
14,
the
Comox Ladies Golf
Club played regular golf.
First low gross:
Janice
Nicklin
(90); second Pat
Everett (95); third
was a tie between
Nancy Newton and
Louise Luster (96).
Low net: Brenda
Good (74); second

BRITT HANSON (LEFT) OF KIDSPORT COMOX VALLEY presents
Sue Finneron (right) of Finneron Hyundai with an award for the
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hyundai Hockey Helpersâ&#x20AC;? program that benefits KidSport in the
Comox Valley. Sue Finneron Hyundai has made great contribuPeg Runquist (78); third Yvonne
Baker (79). KPs: Brenda Good, Louise
Luster, Jo Falco and Yvonne Baker.
Yvonne also had the longest putt.
Chip-ins: Linda Broadbent, Janice
Nicklin, June Fraser, Yvonne Baker,
Brenda Good and Anne Patterson.
We would like to thank our sponsors: Panago Pizza, Playtime Gaming,
Loonyrama, the Tee Box Restaurant
and Gibby in the Golf Shop for their
continued support of the Comox
Ladies Golf Club.
Next Tuesday, we will be playing
regular stoke play, but only counting
the holes which start with T and F,
which should be a fun round. We
hope to see all the ladies and their
guests at the club at 8:30 for a 9 a.m.
start. Make sure to sign up before
Monday at noon.
On May 1, the Thursday Night
Ladies League will begin. This league
is open to all lady golfers, members
and non-members. It is a 9-hole
stroke-play format and prizes are
awarded for low gross, low net and
various KPs. Come and join us for a
fun-filled night of competitive golf.
For more information, please visit our
website at comoxgolfclub.ca, or call
the Golf Shop at 339-4444.
- Submitted by Linda Callender

PINK BALL GAME AT
They came out in droves at Glacier
Greens to play the pink ball game in
great anticipation until it was their
turn to play the pink ball and that
quickly turned into trepidation.
We went out in teams and took
turns playing the pink ball which
counted as the team score. We were
very pleased to have a couple of
guests join us today.
A great low gross score of 90 was
the team of Irene Perry, Sue Powers
and Rosslyn Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rourke.
The low net of 77 was the team of
Marie Israel, Wendy Dowe, Carmel
Horochuk and Lynne Pringle.
KPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s #4 Lori Cameron, #15 Glenda
Kinney.
Come on out next Tuesday and
bring your best swing for Pin Day.
- Submitted by Lori Cameron

came out to enjoy a day of great golf
and prizes.
While the weather was stellar
many of the scores that were submitted were less so.
However there were a few bright
spots on the day-such as the free
burgers and door prizes that were
provided.
The big winners were Greg Koster
(73) and Tyler Van Anrooy (75) who
posted the two best low gross scores
and Keith Lamond (67cb) and Clyde
Levy (67) who recorded the best net
scores.
In the low handicap division Dave
Pye managed third low gross with a
81 while Damon Gaudet (69) and
Kyle Stairs (72) took low net honours.
In the 11+ handicap net division
Dave Pacholuk (68) was third low net
with Ham Stewart, Emil Zapotoczny,
and Rick Bono (all 69â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) sharing 4th
place honours. Rich Sheldon with a
net 71 rounded out the winners.
On the gross side for the 11+ Jim
Buchanan took top spot with a gross
score of 81 followed by Rick Dawson
who won a count back against 3rd
and 4th place Ken Cottini and Silvio
Alberti.
Rob Heron followed with a 85 and
Gavin Maclean and Ed Podetz both
posted 86â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to take 6th and 7th spot
respectively.
KPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emil Zapotoczny (can any
body pronounce this guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name!) #3:
Mike Watson #5; Greg Koster #10;
Kyle Stairs #15; Ed Podetz #17.
Skins 11+: Jim Barr #2, Leo
Lambert #4, Silvio Alberti #14, Earl
Costello #11.
Pro-shop snips: Greg Koster #7,
#18; Kyle Stairs #14; Silvio Alberti
#14.
This Sunday is the ever popular 5
-man scramble. With the winning
team travelling to Fairwinds for the
Zone 6 scramble all expenses paid!
See you Sunday at 8:00 for 8:30.

MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OPENING DAY AT
On Sunday under clear blue skies a
record 62 Sunnydale menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members

HOLE IN ONE AT
Saturday April 12th, 105 players
had a great day at Glacier Greens.
Weather-wise it was sunny and dry,
something we have not had for a few
Saturdays in the past.
Some of the scores were good but
some not so good. Played the white
tees with tee times till 9:30 then a
reverse shotgun. The course was
punched and sanded on Monday and

tions in the Comox Valley â&#x20AC;&#x153;so all kids can play!â&#x20AC;? KidSport is an
organization that helps school-aged children play organized
sports. For more information or to apply for KidSport grants,
please visit kidsportcomox.ca

Download booking forms at www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/rec or pick up at
WKHDGPLQLVWUDWLRQRIĂ&#x20AC;FHORFDWHGDW9DQLHU'ULYH&RXUWHQD\
Three ways to submit your request:
'URSRIIDWWKHDGPLQLVWUDWLRQRIĂ&#x20AC;FH9DQLHU'ULYH&RXUWHQD\
)D[
(PDLOUHFERRNLQJV#FRPR[YDOOH\UGFD
)RULQTXLULHVDERXWIDFLOLW\ERRNLQJVFDOOH[W

CARRIERS WANTED
No collection required. Great exercise!

:ULWWHQUHTXHVWVPXVWEHUHFHLYHGE\0RQGD\0D\
A meeting will be held Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 6:30pm in the
aquarium at the Sports Centre, 3001 Vanier Drive, Courtenay.

%6%294().'
With two weeks of training under your belt you are well on your way to the start line of the Shoreline
Orthodontics’ Tri-K Triathlon.
Last week’s article focused on the importance for athletes to maintain proper hydration. Water
pro-vides important functions within the body. Remember hydrate before, during and after exercise.
This week we’ll look at nutrition
To eat for optimal health it comes down to the following:
•70% of your nutrition comes from carbohydrates,
•25% of your nutrition comes from protein,
•5% of your nutrition comes from fats.
That would mean your plate would be
50% fruit and vegetables, vegetables for complex carbohydrates and fruits for simple carbohydrates
25% grains, whole grain preferably, cereals, breads, rice and pasta
25% protein - lean, chicken, turkey, fish are examples
The fats will come in the foods you eat so we don’t have to go look for them. Nuts and nut products
like natural peanut butter and almond butter contain good fats.
To round out every meal, you guessed it, water.
Some people say that if you can follow the 80/20 rule you’ll do fine. That is eat well 80% of the time,
the 20% gives you some leeway for special occasions.
Assuming your race is going to be done in around 90 minutes, you could opt not to fuel during the
event, hydrate only. However, you should be looking to take on carbs prior to the race. There is
differ-ing opinions on whether ‘carb loading’ works or not.
As a triathlete, your goal is to eat so your body can fuel itself through endurance workouts. That fuel
comes from carbs. So it stands to reason that consuming quality carbs the day prior to the race is a
good idea.
On race day here are some general rules.
1. Have a slow-burn carb breakfast three hours before the event
2. Sip on a carb drink for the hours before the race – probably stopping about 30-45 minutes
before the start time and taking care not to over-fill your bladder!
3. For extra energy, take a carb gel around 10-15 minutes before the race start, (with a little water).

Week
Three

OFF
or
Weights

Swim
700 M
1250 M

Ride
:50
1:00

Run
:30
:40

Swim
700 M
1250 M

Ride
:50
1:15

Run
:30
:40

Please note: The suggested workout lengths for beginners are on the second line and in-termediate
participants on the lower line. Swims are in metres and runs and rides in minutes. Swim workouts can
be broken up into manageable segments. Participants may want to use a combination run/walk for the
runs over the first four weeks. With each outing, try to increase the time you run and decrease the
walking time.

Runs 2nd Tuesday of
every month!
Book your ads now
with one of our
Sales Representatives

250-334-4722

B8 Comox Valley Echo Friday, April 18, 2014

Thunderball
basketball
league action
from Week 2
GRADE 4 AND 5 THUNDERBALL AT
LAKE TRAIL MIDDLE SCHOOL
In the second week of
Thunderball, players learned
important skills in the first half
hour to be implemented in the
game that followed. With full
attendance the players learned the
skills very quickly and did a great
job of paying attention and trying
to learn.
It was nice to watch such a
young group soak up the instruction, led by Head Coach Blake
Tobacca.
Then onto the games, which the
players always look forward to.
The HEAT played the SONICS.
The game was very fast paced
with lots of fast breaks from both
teams.
The players are learning to look
ahead and pass the ball, as they
are learning this is the fastest way
to move the ball up the court. It is
more and more looking like a
team game as these young players
develop their skills.
Some of these young players get
exhausted quickly moving up and
down the court so quickly; however this is good as they will eventually get in shape by just playing
the game.
Team HEAT prevailed in this fast
pace game with excellent shooting
and defense; KYLE PAPINEAU was
a star.
In the other game, the
WARRIORS played the DANGLES.
The Warriors displayed excellent
passing to defeat the Dangles
team. It was a beauty to watch all
these young players passing the
ball up the court to defeat the
Warriors, and Ashlin Speed certainly lived up to her name. Great
drives and great passing by Ashlin.
Her teammates are learning
this is a team game and by including all players they can accomplish their goals together. Well
done by all. Kudos to Max Lloyd
for outstanding play.
WEEK #2 FOR THE GRADE 6 AND 7
GIRLS who played at G.P. Vanier.
This is a three team league of 22
girls who play round robin every
week; all practice together completing various drills, and are
treated much like a club program.
There are 8 keen coaches assisting with stations each week, and
we should see all these girls
improving tremendously over the
next month. The players who so
far have stood out are Julia
Jungwirth, Angelique Kennedy
and Kaylee Lasota.
GRADE 6 AND 7 BOYS WHO PLAYED
AT VANIER:
The SUNS vs the BULLS
The Suns struggled to get
rebounds, but coach Madison
Naswell felt her team played well.
They were unselfish and really
enjoyed playing together. They
produced some good shots, especially the Trask brothers, but the
bounces just didn’t go their way.
Meanwhile, Ian Rutledge cleared
the boards and generally was a
pain for the Suns dominating the
inside play.
The NETS vs the SPURS
Luke Yeo led the way for the
Nets in a game in which everyone
passed well, and all got involved
in a lopsided win.
The Nets also pressed the Spurs
early and this contributed to many
easy layups. For the Spurs, Coach
Tim Wilson focused on having
good floor spacing, and keeping
the heads up to see all the floor.
Cedric Rechsteiner has shown
good improvement over the first
two weeks, and Eric Jung worked
very hard on defense.
The SKYWALKERS vs the
THUNDER
Coach Tony Edwards loved the
way the Skywalkers hustled all
over the floor, especially Paolo
Toribio and Jeremy Knopp. Jordan
Dennis was great in the fast break,
and the whole team showed excellent passing.
For the Thunder Josh Garrett
and Peter Greaves tried their best
to hold back the Skywalkers, but
they and their teammates were
over run by a tenacious team
defense.
The SONICS vs the PACERS
Sunday’s game showed great
defense by the Sonics, and from
their defense many fast break baskets were made. The Sonics were
down by 8 at half time, but then
they revved up the pressure leading to many interceptions.
The rebounding by both teams
was also superb, and all the boys
showed lots of tenacity, especially
Cedar Lloyd.
For the Pacers Thomas Demeo
was a monster on the boards, and
great hustle was shown by Joe
Taylor-Harding.
No games during Easter weekend, and play begins again at
Vanier and Lake Trail for all teams
on Sunday, April 27th.

Sports and Recreation

Mt. Washington ‘Winter 2.0’ wraps April 21
Season pass holders
getting 18% credit
for next year

The Slush Cup serves up brain freeze on closing weekend!

In the end, Mount Washington
received its wish. The snow fell fast
and furious in early February and the
mountain was able to re-open for
Winter 2.0 on February 13th. Winter
came back to Vancouver Island, better late than never, and was greeted
by enthusiastic skiers and boarders.
Fast forward to the third week of
April and things are wrapping up on
Monday, April 21st with classic
spring conditions and a snowbase
hovering around 2 metres deep
mid-mountain.
“Despite the challenges we faced
in the first two months of our winter,
things really turned around for us in
mid-February,” says Brent Curtain,
spokesperson for Mount Washington.
“The commitment of our staff was
instrumental in making this season a
success, even with the late start.
There were some great powder turns,
lots of beautiful, sunny days and we
were able to host some amazing
events.”
In the final weekend of operation,
Mount Washington brings back the
popular Crush Slush Cup on Sunday,
April 20. This can’t-miss event
begins at 3:30 pm beside the Alpine
Lodge.
To break the Slush Cup down simply: contestants dress up in something crowd-pleasing, then climb to

the top of a small mound of snow,
then one by one they point their skis
or boards towards a freezing pit of
water! Most careen across the pit and
crash in spectacular fashion, sending
a wave of water over the crowd.
Others go for glory after hitting the
big jump into the pit. Only a select
few make it across and stay dry. Now
you know why you can’t miss it!
As part of the wrap-up process to a
rather tumultuous winter season,
Mount Washington season passholders were promised a 100-day assurance back in January.
Once the mountain closes after the
21st, operating days will be at 82
days this season.
As a result, passholders are entitles to an 18% credit towards their
2014-15 winter season pass purchase.
More details will be sent to all
season passholders this summer.
Speaking of summer, Mount
Washington will be operating daily
this summer beginning June 28,
2014.
Mile High Scenic Chairlift Rides,
Alpine Action Packs, alpine hiking,
dining, festivals and events will all
be on offer.
The views and breathtaking panoramas of Georgia Strait, the Coast
Mountains and Strathcona Provincial
Park are as sublime in summer as
they are in winter!
For more information on the last
weekend of the season, webcams
and the final weekend hours of operation, visit mountwashington.ca.